H20: Just Add Darkness
by Crystal Manning
Summary: Cleo, Rikki, and Emma knew what the power of the moon can do but what about the power of darkness? Their lives take a turn when three new girls arrive. They know something is wrong but they aren't ready for what they've gotten themselves into. -On Indefinite Hiatus-
1. Prologue: Runaway

**Prologue: Runaway**

12:00 is what the digital clock on the dresser glowed in a red light. A girl with jet black hair, which blended into the shadows, immediately climbed out of bed and changed into her clothes. The moonlight that filtered in through the window caught the cerulean blue strands of her hair and made it shine as she worked her way around the room.

She stuffed extra shirts, shorts, and shoes in her drawstring bag. She tiptoed to her dresser and slowly opened it, making sure not to wake anyone else up. She pushed aside her clothes and grabbed her hidden stash of money and stuffed that into her pockets. She slowly closed the dresser drawer before going to her desk and pulling out a pen and a piece of paper. She wrote quickly and left it on her bed. She put on two of her three necklaces which were a tied eighth note, a Crystaltal, and half of a yin-yang pendant. The half she had was yin. She touched it and it felt cold, like ice.

She opened her window, put her duffel bag on the roof, and took one last look into the room. "Goodbye," she whispered. She climbed out of the window, closed it behind her, jumped to the ground, and ran off. Her footsteps clapped against the ground as she ran as fast as she could towards the park.

Two girls were standing on park benches talking quietly once she arrived, panting heavily. They both had the same jet black hair as her but one had a single red streak in hers while the other had a single purple streak in hers. "Crystaltal, you finally made it!" The girl with the red streak commented, somewhat bitterly.

"Sorry, I kinda got caught up." Crystal told the girl with the red streak. "Did you guys make it out ok?"

The girl with the purple streak nodded as she looked down at her watch. "It's 12:15 now. Our boat leaves at 1:00. Will we make it in time?" She asked as she looked up from her watch.

"You packed your rollerblades, right?" The girl with the red streak asked as she pulled her skateboard out of her drawstring bag that was hanging on her back. She stepped onto it as she waited for the girl with the purple streak and Crystal to put on their rollerblades.

"How'd you get the money for the tickets?" Crystal asked as they rollerbladed down the street.

"We got the credit card from Dad," the girl with the red streak responded.

"We went through the stuff to find out the password and numbers needed to get the money out and presto," the girl with the purple streak responded.

They made it to the dock with time to spare so they stopped to eat a snack. They stayed silent and alert, looking around from time to time to make sure they hadn't been followed. Crystal was sitting in a relaxed position but the other two girls were tense. Their eyes were shifting back and forth as if waiting to be attacked. Once the boat arrived they got on board and watched the city get smaller and smaller as they left.

"Don't you regret leaving your siblings?" Crystal suddenly asked.

"Yeah, but they know that we had to," the girl with the red streak responded. "They'll understand." They stayed silent as they watched the city get smaller before it finally disappeared from view. They stood at the back waiting for a couple more minutes before Crystal broke the silence.

"We better get some sleep," she said as she walked down the stairs, the two girls following close behind. They took off their socks and shoes and climbed under the blankets the Capitan had provided for them. "Night," Crystal yawned. "Night," the other two replied as they drifted off to sleep on the gentile rocking waves...

-------------

**This is my first H20 fic. Please give it a chance. And it's not a cliché story, you'll have to continue reading it to see how it's different.**


	2. Triple Threat Part 1

**Chapter 2: Triple Threat Part 1**

"Cleo! Dad says to get up now if you want a ride to school!"

The obnoxious sound of her sister yelling through the door while knocking on it brought Cleo Setori out of her dream, rudely. She was dreaming that she and her best friends, Rikki Chadwick and Emma Gilbert, were swimming in the ocean. They were mermaids, of course, but the thing about it that was different was the fact that people were standing on the docks watching. Cleo dreams that they would be accepted as mermaids and they wouldn't have to hide their secret anymore.

But she knew it was only a dream. She knew that no one would accept the fact that they were mermaids. They would only want to run tests on them and stick them in tubes to show them around as if they were freaks. That was the entire reason why she and her friends didn't tell her secret to anyone, not even their parents. Well, that was a lie, they told them to Ash, Emma's boyfriend, Zane, Rikki's boyfriend, and Lewis, Cleo's best friend turned boyfriend.

"I'll walk," Cleo called as she got out of bed. She smiled at the fish that were swimming around in her fish tank before feeding them. She then picked up the locket that was sitting on her dresser and fastened it around her neck. She smiled as she lightly touched the necklace.

She, Rikki, and Emma all had the same necklaces because they had found them or it was given to them and they felt like it was important to have all of them. Emma's was given to her by a woman named Louise Chatham who was a mermaid before them along with her two friends Gracie Watsford and Julia Dove. She actually found it in a ship wreck and tried to give it to Louise, but she let Emma keep it. Rikki found hers in a jewelry shop and was going to get it but Miriam got it first. She taunted Rikki with it and tried to get Zane to break up with Rikki but he wouldn't so she threw it into the water. Zane retrieved it and gave it to Rikki. She accepted it and wanted to give it back to Louise but she made Rikki keeping it, saying that it felt right if they were all together.

She quickly changed into her clothes and grabbed her bag before leaving the room. She bounded down the stairs and went into the kitchen where her sister and father were sitting at the table, eating breakfast.

"I swear Cleo, you're getting weirder and weirder every day," Kim commented as she stood up from the table and went to put her dishes in the sink. Cleo rolled her eyes as Kim smirked. A small smile formed on Cleo's face as she looked around to make sure that her father and sister weren't paying attention to her. She lifted her hand as Kim turned on the faucet and slowly closed her fingers as she turned her hand slightly. Kim shrieked as water went shooting out of the faucet and straight at her face. Cleo put down her hand and rushed to the door so they wouldn't see the smile on her face.

She walked quickly down the sidewalk as she headed in the direction to her school. She couldn't wait to see Lewis, even though they do see each other every day. Whenever she sees him she felt like he was the best thing that's happened to her and she was happy to know that he was her best friend before becoming her boyfriend. It made things between them seem even more...real.

She was pulled out of her thoughts when she heard the school bell rang. She hadn't realized that she had made it all the way to school. "Oh great," she muttered to herself before she stared running across the lawn to get to her homeroom. She ran down the hall as fast as she could to make it before the second bell rang. Right as she turned the corner she wasn't able to stop herself from crashing right into someone as they made their way down the hall. "Oooh, I'm so sorry," Cleo apologized as she jumped to her feet and helped the other girl to her feet. "I was in a rush to get to class before I'm late." Her eyes rested on the small red stone that hung around the girl's neck that seemed to match the shade of red that was in her hair.

"It's ok," the girl grunted as she bent down to grab her books. "Where's room...115?"

"Right this way, that's where I was heading anyway," Cleo said as the two started down the hall. They crossed the threshold and entered the classroom two seconds before the bell rang. "I'm Cleo Setori," she said as she held out her hand.

The girl stared at it for a good five seconds before shaking her hand, "Riley Jackson," she muttered as she quickly dropped Cleo's hand. The two glanced behind them when they saw a teacher coming down the hall towards them.

"Come on, you can sit with me," she said with a bright smile.

"Greaaaat," Riley muttered sarcastically as she adjusted the backpack that started to slip off her shoulder before she followed Cleo to where her seat was. She dropped her backpack onto the ground before discreetly pulling out her red cell phone. She looked up at the teacher before looking down at her phone and quickly composed a text. She glanced up at the teacher once more before sending it.

_'Gosh, this class is so boring!' _Riley thought as she rested her cheek on her palm and stared out of the window. She longed to get out of the classroom and to grab her surfboard and just surf. She hasn't been able to go surfing for weeks now and it was starting to take a toll. She drummed her fingers on the table top as she let out an impatient breath as the teacher started droning on about something she really didn't care about. The fact that some of the students kept glancing at her as they whispered really spiked up her tension. She was about to snap when the bell finally rang, signaling it was the end of class. She grabbed her backpack and bolted out of the room, taking a deep breath of the fresh air.

"Riley, wait!" She heard Cleo's voice call out.

"Crap," she muttered to herself. Her midnight blue eyes shone with annoyance as she turned around to see Cleo rushing towards her. "What?" She asked, trying not to snap at her.

"Seeing as you're new here let me show you around," Cleo said once she caught up to Riley. "You can meet my friends too." Riley was getting ready to make a face at Cleo's forwardness but stopped herself in the nick of time.

"Fine," Riley muttered as she let out a breath.

"Great!" Cleo exclaimed with a bright smile before turning to walk up the stairs that led to the second floor classes. Riley clenched her hands into fists and shoved them into her pockets as she followed Cleo. She pointed out every classroom on the way as Riley made a mental map in her mind as she followed her. "Oh, Lewis," she exclaimed happily as she waved a blond boy over. "Lewis, this is Riley. Riley, this is my boyfriend Lewis."

"Hey," he said with a wave before peering at her face. "I think I just passed someone who looked just like you...but she had a purple streak in her hair."

"My sister, Rhuben," Riley said with a nod.

"Yeah, uh, she isn't really nice," Lewis said as he ran a hand through his hair. Riley couldn't keep the smile off of her face. Rhuben wasn't a people person; it was hard getting to know her unless she really trusted you. Heck, even Riley was the same way but not as bad as Rhuben was.

"Nice isn't the first word in Rhuben's vocabulary," Riley said with a shrug.

"She reminds me of Rikki, actually," Lewis said to Cleo as he turned to her.

"No one can be as bad as Rikki," Cleo said with a small smile before the bell rang again. "Oh, there's the bell. I guess I'll see you at lunch. Come out to this lawn and I'll introduce you to everyone else. You can introduce my friends to your sister too."

"And cousin. My cousin's here too," Riley supplied before biting her tongue. _'Why'd I tell her that? Why?'_

"Ok, see you then."

-------

"No," Rhuben declared as she closed her locker. Her navy blue eyes reflected annoyance as she blew the purple strand of hair out of her face.

"She'll come looking for me if we don't go and that's the last thing I want," Riley pointed out as she rolled her eyes. "She's going to ask questions, they always do, but as long as we keep it to one word answers we'll be fine."

"No," Rhuben repeated as she crossed her arms over her chest. She lifted her eyebrows as Crystal came rushing down the hallway. As she neared the twins Rhuben could feel the double takes that some people were taking and it didn't faze her. She was used to it. They looked so much alike they could be triplets, but Crystal was their cousin. Their looks were almost the same but that was the only way they were identical. "What's chasing you?"

"Nothing, but I have something to show you," she said as she put her backpack on the ground and pulled out a rolled up picture. She unrolled it and leaned over so they could see it. The picture was of an island that had a volcano on it. "The history teacher showed it to me. He calls it Mako Island; we saw it this morning on our way in the harbor. He says the volcano has been dormant for centuries. I think we should check it out after school."

"Ok, so how do you propose we get there?" Riley asked her as she raised an eyebrow.

"You can drive a jet ski can't you?" Crystal asked as she rolled up the picture and stuck it into her backpack. "We're going to have to stop at the house though. Oh, and we're going to have to get jobs."

"That's no surprise," Rhuben said with a sigh. "Riles here wants us to meet some girl and her friends."

"Why?" Crystal asked as she picked up her backpack and slung one strap over her shoulder.

"To get the interrogation over with, it's going to happen sooner or later," Riley responded. "Come on." She led the way through the group of students that were in the way and started down the stairs. Rhuben let out a sigh of annoyance before following her. Crystal looked around before following her, too. Once Riley was on the ground she made a beeline for the group of girls that were sitting in the middle of the lawn. Cleo looked up and smiled as they approached.

"Hi Riley, these are my friends Emma and Rikki," Cleo said as she pointed to the girl with straight blond hair and the girl with curly blond hair.

"Hey. Like she said, I'm Riley Jackson. This is my twin Rhuben and our cousin, Crystal Manning," Riley said as she jerked her thumb in their direction. Rhuben nodded slightly while Crystal smiled a little and waved.

"Care to sit? I'd rather not be looking up your noses," Rikki said as she pointed. The trio sat down as a silence fell over the group.

"So where are you from?" Emma asked.

"New York," Crystal responded the same time Riley and Rhuben said, "California."

"Wait, you two have Australian accents, though," Cleo said as she squinted.

"Yeah, well, Rhuben and I were born here while Crystal was born in New York. When we were nine we all moved to California and we moved back here just a day ago," Riley explained with a shrug. "Our parents' jobs made us move quite a bit."

"What do you guys do for fun?" Cleo asked.

"Listen to music, go skating, Riley likes to surf, Rhu wakeboards, and I water ski. Ummm, we hang out with our brothers and we like to explore too," Crystal responded. "We were going to go to Mako Island after school." She winced slightly when Riley elbowed her hard in the ribs. "To take pictures and stuff. Rhu and Riles are into photography and I like sketching."

"Wouldn't...you rather us show you around?" Cleo asked with a somewhat forced smile.

"Yeah, anything else besides Mako," Rikki added. Cleo gave her a hard look which Rikki responded with wide eyes.

"We could take you to the Marine Park and to the Juicenet Café," Emma also suggested. "After school, ok?" The bell rang before the trio could answer. Emma, Cleo, and Rikki jumped to their feet and rushed off.

"That was weird," Crystal muttered as she squinted her crystal blue eyes.

"Too weird," Rhuben added as she also squinted. "They won't leave us alone unless we agree, I know that for sure."

"So Mako Island after that," Riley declared. Her tone of voice let them know that she had made up her mind and they knew that her mind was practically impossible to change once it's been made.

"Well, well, well, you ran away once again, huh? Looks like we found you again, which means you're not that good at running away. You might as well give up now."

Riley clenched her teeth as she, Rhuben, and Crystal whirled around. The place was deserted aside from them and the intruders. Riley's eyes locked on the boy who was smirking. He wore a beat up black leather jacket, despite the heat, a gray t-shirt, black pants, and black shoes. The others wore basically the same thing but their shirts were white and red. The boy on the left had shaggy dark brown hair, the boy in the middle had slightly wavy brown hair, and the boy on the right had black hair with many spikes in it but it still seemed to lie flat. They all had evil smirks on their faces; their unusually long canines seemed to glow in the sunlight.

"Not now Koto," Riley growled.

"Oh no, Riley, I think this is the perfect time," he said with a chuckle. "Reihu, Kotaro," he called before the three charged at the three girls.


	3. Triple Threat Part 2

**Chapter 3: Triple Threat Part 2**

"Are we covered?" Riley asked as she braced herself for an attack.

"Yeah, I put up a shield, we're good," Crystal responded as she clenched her hands into fists and got ready for the fight.

"Good," Riley said with a smile as she turned her right hand into a half fist. A chain sickle appeared in her hand and she quickly threw it at Koto. He skidded to a stop and jumped back to avoid the sickle that had been thrown at him as Riley took the chance to run at him. She swung the sickle once more, making sure to give enough leeway that she would be able to pull it back easily.

He jumped into the air to dodge the attacked and came down with a kick aimed at her head. She used her left hand to swing back and grab his ankle as a ball of flame surrounded it. Koto screamed when she grabbed onto his ankle before throwing him a few feet away from herself.

Meanwhile Rhuben and Crystal were tag-team fighting against Reihu and Kotaro. They aimed kick after kick and punch after punch at the two girls. They kept their arms crossed in front of them to take make sure their faces or chests didn't get hurt. Crystal gritted her teeth at the pain that was spreading up her arms whenever a kick landed on it. She knew by how much power they were using that they could break her arms in two if they wanted.

Kotaro placed a kick on her arms once more before flipping backwards. Crystal took that as an opportunity to conjure up her bow and arrow. The tip of an arrow, which was surrounded in ice, reflected the sunlight as she quickly pulled back the arrow and let it go. With precision it pierced right through Kotaro's shoulder as he came back down. He hissed in pain before pulling it out and having to dodge the rain of ice shards that Crystal was launching at him.

Rhuben squeezed her hand before opening it so her palm was flat where a darkness orb was floating. It grew bigger, to the size of a basketball, as she jumped back to dodge Reihu's punch. With her free hand she grabbed his arm and shoved the ball of darkness into his chest. He screamed in pain as it felt like he was being electrocuted. Rhuben gritted her teeth as she slowly pushed the ball into Reihu's chest and his scream got louder.

"Rhu, that's enough!" Riley called as she shoved Koto back and sent a stream of fire at him. It hit him square in the chest and he was sent flying backwards. "Rhu!" She yelled as she rushed over and smacked Rhuben's arm. She dropped Reihu and backed away as he fell to the ground, panting heavily. Crystal looked up before quickly forming a spear made of solid ice and throwing it so it struck Kotaro in the shoulder.

"Man," Koto muttered as he pulled Reihu's limp body up and off the ground. "You're going to pay for this, traitor!"

"I'll be waiting!" Rhuben growled as she cracked her knuckles. In a flash of light Koto, Kotaro, and Reihu were gone. "They always come at the wrong time."

"It's what they take pride in," Riley commented as she spit out a little bit of blood that was trickling out of the corner of her mouth.

"We better go, we're going to be late," Crystal said as she looked at her watch.

"Who cares about education right now? They know where we are!"

"Yes, but they can't be stupid enough to attack during school!" Crystal shot back.

"If you say so," Riley grumbled. Crystal knew she'd get an earful later but she dismissed Riley's tone before leading them back to their lockers.

-------

"So, what do you think of them?" Cleo asked before taking a sip of her strawberry smoothie. She looked across the table at Emma and Rikki as she waited for their answer. They took their time in drinking their juices before they put it down on the table.

"They're...kinda secretive," Rikki finally told her.

"Well aren't you the pot calling the kettle black," Cleo commented as Emma laughed a little bit. Rikki gave her a confused look as she let out a breath. "You said they were secretive, you aren't exactly an open book yourself. I mean, you never told us where you lived until a few months ago, you never told us that you had financial troubles when we were looking for that treasure, you never-"

"Ok, enough suggestions," Rikki said as she held up her hand to stop Cleo. "I get the point."

"Not everyone is open about themselves that fast, we should...just let them feel welcome and wait for them to talk to us if they want to," Emma suggested. They turned towards the entrance when they heard the beads being pushed aside and saw the three girls walk into the café. Emma waved them over and they made a beeline for their table. "Hey, how was your first day?"

"It was all right," Riley said with a shrug as she slid into the booth behind Cleo and leaned over the back of it. "It could have been better."

"What do you-" Emma started but her sentence got caught in her throat when a shadow fell across the table. They looked up only to be wrapped in uncomfortable silence when they saw Charlotte Watsford standing at their table. Her eyes were shifting back and forth at all of them as she tapped her fingers on her juice cup. "Hi...Charlotte," Emma said slowly.

"Hello girls," Charlotte said with a small smile. "Umm, how are you?"

"We'd be doing better if you weren't here," Rikki responded as she glared at Charlotte. Charlotte visibly flinched at the bite in Rikki's tone.

"I guess I deserve that," Charlotte muttered as she hung her head before looking at Cleo. "So, um, how...how's Lewis?" She asked nervously. Cleo locked eyes with her, she knew that Lewis was a touchy subject with her yet Charlotte always asked about him after _the incident_.

"He's doing well," Cleo said with a nod as more silence fell over the table. Rhuben and Riley exchanged confused glances as Charlotte looked at them.

"Oh, I'm sorry, I don't think we met. I'm Charlotte," she said as she held her hand right under Rhuben's nose.

She glared at it before looking at the red head. "Rhuben," she said as Charlotte dropped her hand. "That's Riley," she nodded at her twin. "And Crystal," she tilted her head in her cousin's direction.

"It's nice to meet you," Crystal said politely as she shook Charlotte's hand. Charlotte smiled a little before dropping her hand and looking around the table.

"So, what are you girls up to today?" She asked as if they were friends. She knew that Cleo, Rikki, and Emma were sore about what she had done and she was trying a lot to get them to forgive her, even going as far as to tell them that she had only did those things because the power got to her head and she just wanted to know how her deceased grandmother lived her life. It was of course a lie but they didn't have to know that. They didn't believe it so Charlotte tried numerous times to get them to trust her and listen to her. She really missed being a mermaid and hated that she was excluded from the 'club, was a normal girl again, and lost Lewis to Cleo.

"Just showing them around," Emma told Charlotte before taking a sip of her drink. "They moved here from Los Angeles."

"I imagine it's not that different. The sun, the sand, the ocean, it's all the same, right?" Charlotte asked, hoping to create some small talk.

"Well, we don't have to worry about being crushed to death by falling debris from earthquakes," Riley said with a shrug. "We traded that for being stung by jellyfish. I think it's a fair trade."

Emma and Cleo laughed a little as Rikki stayed silent. She didn't like the smirk that was on Riley's face but she didn't want to comment on it and sound like she didn't like Riley only because she was new at school. There was something about her air that Rikki didn't find settling and that was what had her tense.

"Umm, will you excuse us for a moment, I would like to talk to Rikki, Emma, and Cleo privately," Charlotte asked. Riley tilted her head slightly, a silent signal. Rhuben and Crystal got out of the booth that was behind Emma and Rikki before following Riley to the pool table.

"What is it?" Rikki demanded once the four were alone together.

"Umm, I just wanted to let you know that...I haven't told anyone about what happened," Charlotte responded. "And I won't. You can trust me with that."

"Somehow, I feel like we can't trust you," Rikki responded. "I mean, you did go crazy with your powers in the first place and you tried to take ours away."

"It's just that...my grandmother-" Charlotte started to explain.

"Your grandmother was responsible with her powers," Emma interrupted her in a low voice to make sure no one overheard her. "You weren't. You had to be the only mermaid. For what? Lewis's attention? You didn't deserve to be a mermaid and your powers were taken away because of that." She stared at Charlotte's face. "We're finished here."

Charlotte nodded before backing away from the table and rushing out of the Juicenet Café. Cleo played with the straw that was in her juice, trying not to feel guilty for treating Charlotte that way. In one sense she deserved it but in another...

"I think being a mermaid really brought out the rebel in Emma," Rikki said with a satisfied grin. "Normally I would be the one to say that to her." Emma smiled a little and shrugged before glancing towards the counter and waved to her boyfriend, Ash. Rikki noticed the look on her face and said with a sigh, "Go on." Almost automatically Emma jumped up from her seat and went over to Ash.

"What was that about?" Crystal asked when she, Riley, and Rhuben returned to the table.

"What was what about?" Cleo asked, feigning innocence as she looked over at Rikki who caught her eye.

"That thing with that Charlotte girl," Rhuben responded. "We could feel the hostility all the way over there." She nodded over at the pool table.

"Oh, we kind of had a falling out a few weeks ago," Rikki said with a wave of her hand.

"Yeah, nothing to worry about," Cleo agreed. "So, um, why were you guys late?"

"We were getting jobs," Riley admitted. "We needed something else to do while we were over here."

"Oh? What jobs did you get?" Rikki asked as she gave Cleo another look.

"Riley is going to be a surf teacher," Crystal spoke up when Riley and Rhuben stayed silent. "Rhuben's going to teach some dance classes, and I'm going to take pictures of some fish for a marine biology magazine." Cleo made a noise that was between a sound of amazement and a sound of shock as hers and Rikki's eyes widened. "What's the matter with you two?"

"Nothing, it's just...we haven't heard of a sixteen-year-old being a photographer for a marine biology magazine around here," Rikki quickly lied.

"I know, the guy said I was the youngest," Crystal said with a proud smile.

"Will you...excuse us for a minute?" Cleo asked before she and Rikki jumped up to rush over to Emma. They said something to her and she said something to Ash and the four of them went to the back room.

"They're hiding something," Riley said bluntly as she absentmindedly played with the red stone that hung around her neck.

"Did you notice that they all had on the same necklace, except the stones above them were different colors?" Rhuben asked.

"They could've gotten it at a store, what's so weird about that?" Crystal asked.

"I don't know," Rhuben admitted with a shrug. "But I know something is going on."

-----

"We can't trust her, Lewis," Cleo said as he paced around the living room of the Setori house. They had split up from Riley, Rhuben, and Crystal because they had to go start their jobs so Cleo, Rikki, and Emma agreed to meet at Cleo's house with Lewis, Ash, and Zane.

"She knows about our secret and she can tell anyone," Emma agreed.

"But who's going to believe that mermaids are real?" Ash questioned from his spot on the couch next to Emma.

"Dr. Denman," Lewis, Zane, Emma, Rikki, and Cleo responded in unison.

"Who?" Ash asked in confusion.

"Dr. Denman," Lewis repeated. "She was a marine biologist who found out about the girls mermaid powers and tried to get them to admit that they were mermaids so she could run tests on them. They tricked her and we haven't seen her since then but she could come back."

"She only found out about our powers because you had a crush on her and left Cleo's scale on her boat," Rikki accused.

"And I apologized for it," Lewis said in frustration. "She's gone; we don't have to worry about her."

"But you said yourself that she could come back," Zane pointed out.

"If she does we can distract her," Lewis told them. "Back to the topic at hand, Charlotte won't tell anyone."

"But how do you _know_?" Cleo demanded as she locked eyes with Lewis. She could hear the bitterness in her voice but he didn't know if it was because she knew about their secret or if it was because she had power over them that she didn't realize she had.

"Well...we're going to have to trust her," Lewis said in a small voice.

"Trust her!?" Rikki exclaimed as she jumped to her feet. "Lewis, she constantly put Cleo down, she stole you away from her, she got mermaid powers because she broke into Cleo's room, and she almost destroyed us. Now you're saying you want us to _trust_ her!?"

"What other choice do we have?" Lewis asked with a shrug. "We can't wipe her memory or anything. And she seems really sorry for what she has done and-"

"But nothing's as it seems, Lewis," Emma spoke up. "She can easily expose us."

"What else can you do?" Lewis shot back. The girls stayed silent as they exchanged glances and let out a collective sigh. They didn't want to have to trust her but they knew that they didn't have any other choice. "The guys and I will keep an eye out for her, just to be sure," he said as he nodded at Ash and Zane who nodded back.

"Have you met those new girls?" Ash asked suddenly.

"Yeah, they are in our class at school," Cleo responded. "Why?"

"I'm just curious. They seemed to be tense and jumpy throughout the day. I met one of them, Crystal I think was her name, and she was really tense and kept looking over her shoulder as if something or someone was following her."

"She's just new, she's shy," Cleo suggested. "They all are."

"They seem kinda fishy to me," Rikki commented. She looked around the room with a face of annoyance when everyone aside from her burst out laughing. "What?"

-----

Charlotte angrily slammed the door to her bedroom shut as she bit her lip to keep herself from crying. It wasn't fair! She was being treated like dirt while the new girls were being welcomed into their group with open arms.

She hated that she was excluded and treated like she didn't exist anymore. Even Lewis wouldn't give her the time of day anymore. What was it that Cleo had that Charlotte didn't? It dawned on Charlotte and hurt her heart like she had been stabbed with a hot blade.

She still believed that she was the only one who had the right to be a mermaid; she was the only one who was a descended of the original. It wasn't fair. It wasn't fair! Charlotte longed to get her mermaid powers back but she knew that she couldn't with Cleo and her friends going to the moon pool all of the time. She had to find another way there to get her powers back, to feel like she belonged somewhere.

And those new girls? Riley, Rhuben, and Crystal. Charlotte felt that there was something odd about them when she first saw them arrive at the school. She didn't go and speak to them because she was intimidated by them for a reason she couldn't put her finger on. In class they became the center of attention which really got on Charlotte's nerves. No one paid attention to her when she first got to the school but when the Jacksons and that Manning girl came it was like they were celebrities.

"I think I heard something about their name before," Charlotte muttered to herself as she opened her laptop. Once it was on all the way she clicked on a link she saved. She had a folder with links to articles about the Gold Coast of Australia so she knew about it when they first moved there. She remembered reading something about a fire that happened seven years ago and the name of Jackson was used a lot, but it _was_ a common last name.

Charlotte clicked on link after link, trying to find out if there was a connection to their name. A couple of the papers had the name Jackson in it and commented on how they had two daughters that were twins. Charlotte knew the story was connected to the new students but what piqued her interest was the fact that it kept saying something along the lines of the fire being started intentionally inside the house. She clicked on one more link and read through the whole document, her eyes widening with each sentence she read. A young girl had been accused of setting fire to her house and that was what made them move in the first place.

The accused girl was Riley.


	4. Beware the Darkness

**Chapter 4: Beware of the Darkness**

"This house is too empty," Riley commented as she folded her red and black shorty wetsuit and laid it on top of her surfboard. She looked around at the room with its bare walls and clean smelling air. She was glad that some furniture came with the house when they rented it with a fair bit of money, but she hated how it wasn't decorated to fir their personality.

"We can get some stuff after we get our paychecks," Crystal suggested when she noticed the look on Riley's face. She glanced at the clock on her wall. "Rhu, come on! We're going to be late!" She shouted up the stairs.

"Sorry, I was checking my e-mail," she said as she came down the stairs, tying her hair back into a ponytail.

"Did they send one?" Riley asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Of course," she responded. "I saved it."

"You didn't reply?"

"No. I'm not stupid; I know not to give us away."

"You could always reply and not tell them where we are," Crystal pointed out as she grabbed her keys off of the counter.

"No way. Syd will be able to trace the IP Address easily," Rhuben responded as she picked up her bag and started towards the door. Riley and Crystal rushed behind her as they went down the sidewalk towards the silver Jeep Wrangler Rubicon. Crystal was about to get in when she let out a groan of frustration.

"Australians just _have_ to have the steering wheel on the _other_ side!" She muttered to herself before walking around the Jeep to get in the other side. Riley and Rhuben bit their lips so they wouldn't laugh out loud as they got in: Riley in the passenger seat and Rhuben in the back. Riley slumped a little in her seat as the moving car caused the wind to lift her hair off her shoulder and blow gently behind her.

She missed how peaceful Australia was. No one was ever really mean to each other, the community was welcoming and always made people feel right at home. She hated it when she and her family just up and moved without any explanation. In short, she was glad that she was back and never wanted to leave...if she had the choice.

"When's your shift over?" Riley asked as Rhuben jumped out of the Jeep and slung her bag over her shoulder. She pulled out her cell phone and looked at it for a few seconds.

"In two and a half hours, three tops," she responded.

"All right, if you end early for some reason go to the beach. Riles will be there and I can pick something up on the way home," Crystal responded before driving off. Rhuben nodded before going into the building. She signed in and waved to Liam, a personal trainer that she had met before. He gave her a warm smile before she went straight to one of the dance studios.

As she pushed open the door the chatter in the room immediately ceased as the students in the class turned their attention to her. The class ranged from ten-year-olds to thirteen-year-olds, all at different dancing levels. Rhuben knew that she had a lot of work to do to get them ready for the competition that was coming up in two and a half months.

"How's it going?" Rhuben asked as she placed her hands on her hips and looked around the room. She smiled a little when she saw that some of the students were afraid to look her in the eye. "I'm Rhuben and I'm going to be your dancing instructor while Ms. Maxwell is on maternity leave. In the next two and a half months I'm going to whip you into shape so you'll be ready for the competition. This class will meet Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays, and Saturdays. If you're late, you'll get a punishment for it. This class is a team. If one person won't put in the work, you'll all suffer for it. Got it?" The class was silent. "Good. Now, go outside. We'll start with ten minutes of jogging."

Everyone started towards the door but one hand stuck straight into the air. Rhuben's eyes rested on a girl who had her blond hair pulled back into two braids and an annoyed look on her face. She looked to be about ten-years-old, maybe eleven. When the girl noticed that Rhuben had locked her eyes on her she spoke. "What does any of this have to do with dancing?"

"What's your name, kid?" Rhuben asked.

"Kim Sertori," she responded.

"Well, Kim, to do basic dance moves you have to have good endurance. And to get good endurance you have to build up your muscle," Rhuben explained. "This is why we're going to start each practice with a run and end with some weight lifting. Got it?" The class who was standing by the door nodded again. "Good, your ten minutes starts now."

----------

"Where are you off to, Nate?" Zane asked as his friend put down the cue stick and looked at his watch.

"Surfing lesson," he responded with a smile.

"You don't need a surfing lesson," Zane told him with a look of confusion on his face.

"I do when the teacher's a hot chickie," he responded with a big grin. Zane laughed a little and patted him on the shoulder. "You want to come?"

"No, mate, you know I'm with Rikki," he reminded him. "How many times must I tell you that?"

"Man, you've turned into a party pooper ever since you started dating Rikki," Nate pointed out.

"Isn't the new surf instructor Riley? That new girl?" Zane asked as he raised his eyebrow.

"The same one," Nate responded as his grin got bigger. "And by the end of the day she's going to become _more_ than my surf teacher."

"Good luck with that, mate," Zane said with a laugh as he walked off. Nate gave a little wave before leaving the Juicenet Café. He picked up his surfboard, which was leaning against the wall of the café, and started his trek down the sidewalk. As he got closer to the beach he put a swagger in his step. He stood at the top of the small flight of stairs and looked down the beach before looking up. He eyes rested on Riley, who was standing in front of a couple of guys, her arms crossed her over chest. Nate raised a hand and quickly checked his breath.

_'You can do this, Nate. Once this class is over she'll want you, just like all the others.' _Once Nate felt confident with his pep-talk he made a beeline towards Riley. She was saying something to the group before jerking her thumb behind herself towards the ocean. She looked up as Nate approached. He opened his mouth to say something but she cut him off.

"You're late," she stated in a cold tone. "I want you to run up the beach and back to me six times," she said as she turned so she was looking out at the ocean. "You'll be timed. You have to beat six minutes."

"What!?" Nate cried out as he stared at her in shock.

"You get a punishment whenever you're late," she responded as she looked at him. "That's my number one rule, don't be late. Now go." She raised an eyebrow when he didn't move from his spot; he just stood there gaping at her. "Am I speaking a foreign language? Move it!"

He dropped his surfboard and started jogging up the beach. "Man, that chick's got 'tude," he muttered to himself. "But she is hot, and I like a little attitude in a woman. I will totally get her to be my girl." He heard Riley shout something at her as he continued running. "Even if I have to wear her down."

-----

"Do you need any help studying for the Physics test coming up?" Lewis asked as he and Cleo walked down the docks. He was carrying his fishing rod and bait while Cleo carried his tackle box for him. "We could study at your place when I'm finished fishing."

"That would be great Lewis," Cleo said with a bright smile, her brown eyes shining. "I would really like the help, especially since I did poorly on the last test."

"I can guarantee you, that you will get an A on the next test with the Lewis McCartney Study Program."

"Thank so much Lewis, for everything," Cleo said as she took his free hand and gave it a little squeeze. He smiled back before closing the gap between them and giving her a kiss. They pulled apart, smiling to each other before Cleo broke their gaze and put the tackle box down. "I'll see you later then?"

"Later," Lewis confirmed with a nod. She gave a small wave before turning around and walking off. Lewis smiled to himself as he put his equipment into his boat, wondering how he landed himself with the perfect girl for him. He could see himself marrying her in the future, he was that sure that they would stick together no matter what happens to them. He jumped into his boat as he reached for his fishing pole but stopped when he saw Crystal walking along the docks, a somewhat troubled look on her face. "Hey," he called out, immediately grabbing her attention.

"Hi," she said with a bright smile. "It's Lewis, right?"

"Right," he confirmed. "You're in my English, Math, and History class."

"That's right."

"What're you doing out here?" Lewis asked as he squinted from the sunlight.

"I'm trying to find a way to the ocean," she responded. "I have to take pictures of fish for my first day of work," she added as she lifted the camera that was strapped around her wrist. "I was going to rent a waterski or something but the guy claims I'm too young. I mean, I'm sixteen but I look like a thirteen-year-old 'cause I'm 5"2."

"I could give you a lift," he said as he looked down at his boat before looking back up at her. "You could use my diver mask and my snorkel too. I wash it before every use, so you don't have to worry about germs."

"You're being awfully nice to someone you don't even know," she pointed out as she crossed her arms over her chest, loosely.

"Well, we can use this time to get to know each other," Lewis responded with a small smile.

------

"Emma, what's wrong? You haven't said anything about me being a slacker yet," Rikki commented as she filed her nails and looked over at her blond haired friend. Emma was staring out the window.

"Emma, what's wrong?" Cleo asked as she gently shook Emma's arm.

"Hmm? What?" Emma asked as she looked at them.

"Oh, I see, she was thinking about Ash again," Rikki said with a smile as she closed her Math book. "Tell me, where' she taking you today?"

"I was thinking about Ash," she told Rikki in a firm tone. Rikki raised an eyebrow. "He's taking me to the movies," she sighed.

"Again? Don't get me wrong Em, but he _always_ takes you to the movies. Why not a restaurant? Or a picnic? Or a walk on the beach? It's not a full moon tonight so you have nothing to worry about," Rikki said in exasperation. "He's treating you like a little kid."

"He is not!" Emma denied. "He's simply looking out for me and I like that. I have a lesser chance of getting wet at a theater than I do at a restaurant or out walking. I think it's thoughtful of him."

"Cleo, what do you think? Is he being thoughtful or is he being over protective?" Rikki demanded.

Cleo's eyes shifted as she looked back and forth between Rikki and Emma. She hated it when they fought. It wasn't because they fought almost all of the time, but it was because she was always stuck in the middle of their arguments. They even almost missed their one year mermaid anniversary because of a fight they were having and Cleo thought that would be the end of their friendship.

"Well, I think..." Cleo sighed. "I think Emma should be having this conversation with Ash, not us," she announced as she gripped her necklace.

Right as she wrapped her fingers around it everything around her turned black as Emma and Rikki disappeared. Cleo's eyes widened as she looked around, searching for them, her breath came out in shaky gasps that formed in white clouds in the cold air.

"Guys?" She called, her voice echoing in the darkness. "Where are you? Rikki? Emma?" She started to panic. "Lewis? _Anyone_?"

"_Darkness_," a voice whispered, echoing around her.

"Who...who's there?" She asked as she started to tremble. "Whoever's out there...I know how to play football...I can kick pretty hard." Her voice came out shaky so it didn't even sound like a threat to her so it couldn't have sounded like a threat to anyone else.

"_Darkness_," the voice repeated. "_Beware the darkness. Beware the holders of the darkness. Darkness burns. Darkness drowns. Darkness consumes..._"

------

**I hope you readers like this story so far. The next chapters are going to focus on Rikki, Cleo, Emma, and Lewis a little more, even though I needed these first four to introduce the new characters. Please read and review, I would totally appreciate it.**

**Constructive criticism is welcome with open arms.**


	5. Charlotte and Dr Denman

**Chapter 5: Charlotte and Dr. Denman**

Emma and Rikki jumped to their feet when Cleo's eyes rolled to the back of her head and she fell over. Rikki quickly grabbed her and gently laid her down on the floor before checking her pulse. "Her pulse is fine," Rikki told Emma.

Emma moved her ponytail over to her other shoulder before leaning close to Cleo's chest. She could distinctly hear her breathing while her chest rose up and down, slowly. "She's breathing fine," Emma said as she leaned back. "She's breathing like she's asleep."

"Hey, Cleo, wake up!" Rikki said as she grabbed Cleo's shoulders and started to shake her. Cleo's head flopped back and forth a couple of times before Cleo finally opened her eyes and brought a hand up to her head. "Are you ok?"

"Yeah...I'm fine," she responded as Rikki let go of her. "It was weird. All of a sudden everything turned black...and cold. You guys disappeared. I tried calling for you...but no one was around me. And then...this voice started speaking to me. It said something about the darkness...It said beware the darkness."

Emma and Rikki exchanged a look. "I think we should call Lewis," Cleo finally spoke up.

"What if this has to do with mermaid things? I'm sure Lewis wouldn't know what the darkness has anything to do with it. We should try and get to Ms. Chatham," Emma explained. She went over to Cleo's phone and dialed Ms. Chatham's number as Rikki and Cleo waited silently for her to pick up. "That's odd, she won't answer," Emma said as she put down her phone. "What Cleo saw...it's probably nothing," Emma tried to convince them. "It was probably a dream."

"It felt too real to be a dream," Cleo tried to convince her.

"Well, if we're not actually going to study then there's no point in me being here, now is there?" Rikki started to pack up her books before she shoved them into her bag. "I'm out."

"Where are you going?" Emma asked as she followed Rikki to the door.

"To see Zane," Rikki responded simply. "If we're not going to do anything here there is no point in me staying, is there?" She left the house and closed the door behind her before starting down the street towards the beach. She liked how each of their houses weren't that far away from the beach, the docks, or their favorite hangout. She loved how it was all in walking distance. But she hated how she had to get a ride to school every day, which she could have done without.

She arrived at the beach and looked around to see if she could spot Zane. She knew he had to be there with Nate. She had overheard their conversation about Nate taking surfing lessons or something. At first she was confused about it but then she wasn't surprised when she realized the real reason he was doing it was all because of a girl he wanted to get with. _'He goes through girls like someone with a cold goes through tissues_.'

"'Ey, Rikki!" She looked around again before spotting Zane, who was waving at her as he walked towards her. She took off her shoes before stepping onto the beach, making a beeline for him. "What are you doing here? I thought you were with Cleo and Emma," he said as he gave her a hug before giving her a peck on the lips.

"I was, but then Emma needed to get ready for her date with Ash and I didn't want to stay for that," she responded as she took his hand and they started to walk down the beach.

"How'd you know I was going to be here?"

"Nate," she responded simply. "Usually wherever he is you are so I put two and two together."

"I'm usually around him just to stop him from doing something stupid, you know," Zane explained as they walked towards the mentioned teen who was sitting on the beach, by his surfboard, watching other people surf in the swelling ocean.

"Should I call him your girlfriend, then? You're going to be spending a lot of time with him," Rikki joked as Zane chuckled and playfully bumped her arm.

"What are you doing sitting here, mate? I thought you'd be in the water with your class," Zane commented once they reached Nate.

"Just enjoying the view," he responded as a grin crossed his face as his eyes transfixed on an object. Zane and Rikki looked out at the ocean to see Riley shooting through a barrel before coming out the other side before the wave crashed. Rikki made a face at Nate's statement before crossing her arms over her chest as Riley came out of the water.

"Hey," she said as she nodded in Rikki's and Zane's direction. "Rikki, right?" Rikki nodded to confirm her question. "You surf? I could always use a girl to surf with me," Riley said as she dropped her board that was covered in bright red and black flames.

"No, surfing's not my thing," Rikki said as Riley grabbed her towel and started to rub her hair dry.

"What a shame, I betcha you'd be really good." She dropped her towel to the ground and pulled her hair out of its ponytail before shaking it free of any loose water drops. Rikki's eyes widened when a drop landed on her cheek and she quickly grabbed a dry part of the towel to dry herself off. She counted out ten seconds in her head and heard Zane sigh in relief. That was too close. "I could teach you."

"No thanks, I'll leave surfing to you."

"You can go now," Riley added as she looked over in Nate's direction.

He scrambled to his feet and picked up his board. He tucked it under his arm and smiled before saying, "Maybe you could give me some extra one-on-one practice."

"You don't need it," Riley said as she crossed her arms over her chest and glared at him with hard eyes. "I hate being screwed over, and faking that you need lessons is in the top list of reasons I hate being screwed over. You don't need the help so I don't know why you're here. If you're expecting something else from me then you can forget it."

The smile fell from his face as Zane bit his lip to keep from laughing. The laugh got stuck in his throat when he saw the look in Nate's eyes. It was his challenge face and he knew that Nate never gives up a challenge.

"We'll see about that," Nate state before turning to walk away.

Riley made a face of disgust. "He has problems." She looked over at Zane who was staring at her. "Zane," she suddenly stated as her eyes widened in recognition.

He gave her a confused look before his eyes also widened. "I remember you now."

"You two know each other?" Rikki asked with a raised eyebrow.

"His dad used to work with my dad," Riley explained. Before Rikki could open her mouth she looked past her and let out a breath. Riley turned around and saw Charlotte making a beeline towards them.

"Charlotte, what're you doing here?" Rikki asked as she tensed once she stepped into their little circle. Zane placed a hand on her shoulder which instantly relaxed her, but the glare never slid off of her face.

"I came to talk to Riley about something," Charlotte said before grabbing Riley's arm and dragging her away.

"She's up to something," Rikki announced.

"Are you sure?" Zane asked.

"Positive. Charlotte used to be a mermaid too, but she forced herself into it," Rikki explained as she took his hand and the two walked off. "You see, she found this picture of her grandmother in Cleo's room. Her grandmother was one of the original mermaids from around here. Ever since she found the picture she's been trying to figure out things about her grandmother. One day she went snooping in Cleo's room and found this movie that a friend of hers' shot, it was of her turning into a mermaid. She's been trying to find the moon pool since then and she actually succeeded. After she turned into a mermaid she used her powers against us and we tried to stop her but she became more paranoid and controlling. Eventually the full moon came and she didn't listen to our warnings about it and fell under its spell. She came over to Emma's house and started messing things up, only to lure us to Mako Island to try and get rid of our powers. It eventually became a showdown between all of us to see who got to keep their powers and we were able to beat her so she lost her powers. I don't think she ever got over it."

"Wait, she knows about your powers?" Zane asked in shock. "But what if she tells someone about it? She could contact my Dad or Dr. Denman or someone!"

"She knows that no one will believe her if she said anything about it," Rikki reassured him. "And she knows what I can do if she happens to let it slip so I think we're covered."

Zane chuckled before kissing her on the cheek. "Some people may think you're abrasive, but I love how you stick up for yourself."

"That better be a compliment."

"It is. Do you want to do something?"

"Actually, I'm going to follow Charlotte to make sure she doesn't say anything, just to be sure," Rikki told him. "Rain check?"

"Of course," Zane said with an understanding smile before pulling her into a hug. "I'll see you later."

"Later."

Rikki sprinted towards the water and ran through the waves before diving into the water when it reached her waist. She smiled at the familiar feeling when a mass of bubbles surrounded her in the ocean and the next thing she knew she was a mermaid. She put her arms in front of herself and moved her tail muscles before shooting through the water at high speeds. She lifted her head out of the water further down the beach where Charlotte had finally stopped walking. She glanced around herself before lowering her head slightly as Riley looked at her in annoyance.

"If I were you I wouldn't try being friends with Rikki, Emma, and Cleo," Charlotte was saying. "They don't like including people into their group, I've tried and they were horrible to me. I don't want you to go through the same thing; I'm only looking out for you."

"I'm capable of finding out who I can or can't trust, thank you," Riley said in a surprisingly calm down. "You just proved that I can't trust you. I had a feeling that I couldn't but you just proved that I can't." A slow smirk spread across her face as she stepped forward. "Whatever you think you know about my family and me, you're wrong, so mind your own business."

Charlotte let out a huff before stomping off. Rikki lowered her head slightly. _'She turns to this all because she lost her mermaid powers? What was it that Lewis saw in her, honestly?'_ Rikki's head shot up when she suddenly smelled smoke. Her eyebrows rose when she saw that Riley was gone. Rikki pulled herself up onto the beach and dried herself off. When the steam disappeared she walked over to where Riley had been standing a few seconds before. What looked like burn marks were on the ground and smoke was coming from the marks.

"That's weird," she muttered to herself as she looked at the marks before looking around.

-------

Charlotte stomped up the beach, her head was lowered and she had her arms wrapped around herself as she bit her lip, willing herself not to cry. She had been stripped of her mermaid powers and was told off when she was just trying to help.

She hadn't realized that she had walked all the way to the docks until she noticed that a boat was sitting tied to the pier. The strange thing about it was the fact that the lights were still on while the other boats were dark.

"Are you lost?"

Charlotte's head shot up when she was addressed. She hadn't heard anyone come up behind her. A blond haired woman was standing behind her, her arms crossed loosely over her chest, her white lab coat moving slightly in the wind.

"No, I'm not," Charlotte said as she shook hear heard before turning it so she could dry off her face that was still wet with tears. "Are...are you Dr. Denman?"

"Yes," Dr. Denman said with raised eyebrows. "How did you hear of me?"

"My boy...my friend Lewis talked about you constantly," Charlotte replied.

"You know Lewis?" Dr. Denman asked with a bright smile. "I haven't seen in him ages. Actually, I was going to look for him tomorrow I wanted to talk to him about mer-" She stopped as an eager look crossed Charlotte's face.

"Mermaids?" Charlotte whispered. Dr. Denman's lip twitched slightly before she motioned Charlotte over to the brightly lit boat. Dr. Denman led her onto the boat where one of her assistants was looking at a computer screen.

"What do you know about mermaids?" Dr. Denman whispered.

"Why?" Charlotte asked, suddenly regretting what she had blurted out.

"I was here before studying marine biology and a fish count near Mako Island. Lewis was working with me and he left one of his experiments on a slide. I put water on it, like he was going to do, and saw that the whole molecular make-up had changed. I went around Mako, like I was supposed to, and found this underwater tunnel that lead to this...pool underneath the volcano. I found a scale there, dried it, and it turned into dead human skin. It started to click in my head what it was about until a boy, Zane Bennet, claimed that he saw a mermaid and then I was sure that there were mermaids by Mako. His father and I set up cameras to try and find them and we caught a picture of three girls. I knew Lewis knew something about it so I tried to get him to tell me about it but he wouldn't. So I had to resort to drastic measures, I had to trick him and him so his friends would go to Mako Island as mermaids; I knew that he knew them.

"I tried to talk to them about their mermaidness but they attacked me and escaped with Zane's help. Eventually I found them again and tried to get them to talk again but, once again, they attacked me. They kept telling me about how they were going to give up their powers. They jumped into this pool as the moon while it was being eclipsed and their powers were gone. I've been trying to figure out how that was possible and why they were the ones that had the mermaid power."

"It's the moon," Charlotte blurted out. She couldn't hold it inside anymore. She had to tell someone, and she thought that Dr. Denman was the right person. Maybe she could ever get her powers back... "The moon does it. If you're in the moon pool while the moon is overhead then you will turn into a mermaid."

"How do you know this?" Dr. Denman asked.

"I was a mermaid before," Charlotte admitted. "Before the girls took that away from me. I want to be a mermaid so badly again."

"What's your name?" Dr. Denman suddenly asked.

"Charlotte," she replied.

"I think we can help each other, Charlotte."


	6. Dinner Party Trouble

**Chapter 6: Three's a Party, Six is a crowd, but Twelve is Trouble**

"You did _what_!?" Riley and Rhuben shouted in unison. Crystal winced at how forceful their shouts were.

"Ok," Crystal started as she let out a breath. "Lewis helped me on my first day by driving out to the middle of the ocean with his boat. After I got some pictures we got to talking and he mentioned that Emma was having them over for dinner. He asked if we wanted to go, seeing as we were new, and I said sure. I mean, we don't have to cook and it's not like we have anything else to do."

"Protecting our lives is something," Rhuben shot back. "Doing that is hard enough as it is, but now we have to do it at someone else's house? You weren't thinking, were you?"

"We need some time to relax and I figured that this would be the perfect opportunity. I mean, we haven't been able to sit down since we woke up," Crystal explained.

"Riles, what do you think?" Rhuben asked as she and her cousin turned to her twin who had been silent during their exchanged. Her face was void of emotions but her eyes were squinted slightly, signaling that she had been thinking.

"I say we go," Riley finally announced as she let out a breath. "We don't have to cook for ourselves, which is a plus. If anything happens, we can just split in a second and no one will be the wiser. Just stay on your toes and we'll be fine."

"If you're sure," Rhuben said as she crossed her arms over her chest.

----

"...and if anything happens, the emergency numbers are by the phone," Mrs. Gilbert said as she and Emma stood by the front door of her home.

"I know Mum," Emma said in a slightly impatient tone as she held open the door for her mother. Her father and her brother, Elliot, were sitting in the car waiting to leave. They were going out to dinner with Mr. Sertori and his daughter, Kim, which lead to Cleo going over to Emma's which was how Cleo convinced Emma to have a dinner with their friends that night. "Have fun," she called after her mother as she walked briskly down the sidewalk just as Cleo came down the stairs, adjusting her purple top. "Stop, you look gorgeous," Emma told her.

"Even when I'm wearing a tank top and capris?" Cleo asked with raised eyebrows and bit her lip.

"Yes, but so you know, Lewis will love whatever you wear, even something as comfortable as that," she responded as she went into the kitchen and started to set the table.

"Wait...I think you put out three extra places," Cleo said as she quickly counted the plates that were on the table.

"Oh, I didn't tell you?" Emma asked as she knitted her eyebrows together. "Well, after you convinced me to have this dinner and after I convinced Mum to let me have it, I told Ash to come over. He then suggested that Rikki, Zane, and Lewis come too. Lewis then suggested that we invite Riley, Rhuben, and Crystal over so we could get to know them better. That's why we're not going to Mako."

"Lewis suggested it?" Cleo asked in confusion.

"Yeah, after he helped Crystal out with her job," Emma said as she started to place silverware with the plates.

"Helped her with her job?" Cleo echoed. Emma could hear the concerned tone in her voice and didn't have to turn around to have to know that a troubled look was on Cleo's face.

"Relax, Cleo, he was just helping out. You know that he's crazy about you," Emma said with a smile as she gently bumped Cleo's arm. Cleo couldn't stop the smile that had formed on her face. She turned and went to the door when she saw that Emma was busy.

"Hey guys," she greeted her friends cheerfully as she stepped aside for them to enter. Cleo's smile got bigger when she saw Rikki and Zane holding hands, the flowers that were in Ash's hands, and the dolphin bracelet that Lewis was holding out for her to take. "Aww, Lewis, it's so cute," she cooed as she took it from him and slid it over her wrist, marveling at how well the blue colors went with her tan skin. "I love it," she added before hugging him, feeling secure when he wrapped his arms around her lower back. It was a perfect fit.

"Ah, I knew you would," Lewis said with a bright smile as he brushed his blond hair out of his eyes.

"Yeah, if you're into that sappy stuff," Rikki commented from her position in the kitchen. She was resting her elbows on the table and eating out of the bowl of peanuts that was sitting out. Cleo cleared her throat and gave her a pointed look. Rikki held up her hands, as if surrendering, before turning around to listen to Emma, Ash, and Zane talking about something.

"Funny, she was in a good mood earlier today," Cleo muttered.

"Is that possible?" Lewis questioned with a raised eyebrow.

"I heard that!" Rikki called from the kitchen. Cleo and Lewis chuckled before walking hand in hand into the kitchen, waiting for their guests to arrive. Ash was discussing how the horses were doing when the doorbell rang and Emma rushed to get it.

"Hey, glad you could make it," Emma said with a bright smile as she stepped aside to let Riley, Rhuben, and Crystal in.

"Thanks for inviting us," Crystal spoke up when Riley and Rhuben stayed quiet.

"It's no problem at all," Emma told them before leading them over to the group. "You know the girls and Lewis. That's Zane Bennet and Ash Dove."

"We've all ready met," Riley said as she nodded in Zane's direction. Rhuben's eyes narrowed slightly as they rested on him. He shifted uncomfortably under her piercing gaze.

"So, um, dinner's ready. Let's eat," Emma said, breaking the silence as she clapped her hands. She picked up a pan that was on the stove and carried it over to the table. She went back into the kitchen to grab another pan when Ash stopped her.

"Let me do it," he offered with a smile.

"It's all right, I've got it," she responded as she reached for it again.

"You've done enough all ready," he said as he gently grabbed her wrists and lowered her arms. He kissed her forehead before telling her, "Go and sit, and that's an order."

"Ok," Emma said with a small giggle before turning and leaving the kitchen to sit down at the table. Once everything was set on the table they passed the pans around, putting their portions on their plates, and started to dig in. Emma watched Riley, Rhuben, and Crystal eating with her fork halfway through her mouth. She couldn't help but notice that they were eating like they hadn't had food for weeks.

"Empty stomachs?" Ash asked, breaking the silence.

"Er...our Dad doesn't cook really well," Rhuben muttered once she noticed all of the stares. "More than half the stuff he makes we can't even get close to."

"What does your Dad do?" Rikki asked.

"Hers or mine?" Rhuben questioned as she jerked her thumb in Crystal's direction.

"Both."

"Her Dad is a scientist and my Dad...what does Dad do again?" Rhuben asked as she looked over at Riley. Riley's eyes shifted back and forth before she scrunched up her face in thought.

"It's hard to explain, but he works for the US government," Riley responded after a couple of seconds of silence. "That's why we moved here with Crystal's Dad first. Our Dad is coming down later." Her hand stopped halfway to her mouth as her eyes focused on something outside. She gently stepped on Rhuben's foot and pretended to cough as she pointed out the window. Rhuben followed her gaze and her eye twitched slightly as she looked out the window.

Her eyes locked with Reihu's as a slow evil smile formed on his face. He let out an inaudible laugh before he disappeared in a blink of an eye.

"What are you looking at?" Cleo asked as she looked out the window herself.

"Nothing, I just thought I saw something," Riley responded as she got to her feet. "We could check it out for you," she offered as she glanced at Emma before looking back out the window.

"It could be people trying to use our pool," Emma said thoughtfully. "Let me check," she said as she started to stand, ignoring the hard looks that Cleo and Rikki had shot at her.

"No, we can do it; it will only take a minute," Riley said as Rhuben and Crystal got to their feet and they all rushed to the front door. They jumped down the stairs and ran around to the backyard where Koto, Reihu, and Kotaro were lounging around. "Crys-" Riley started.

"I'm on it," Crystal said as her hands started to glow blue. She stuck her hands out in front of her and moved them out to the sides as a blue orb surrounded them before it disappeared. "Shields are up. Let's finish this."

Ruben pulled back her fist as a black sphere surrounded it. She charged at Reihu and shot her fist forward, smirking when it connected with his stomach. He was pushed back a couple of feet as he wrapped his arms around his abs. With a burst of speed he ran forward and knocked her backwards into the pool. She swam to the surface only to be met with a punch to the face. Her head snapped back so Reihu took the opportunity to wrap his hands around her neck and hold her head under water. She thrashed against his hold and tried to get him to let go as darkness started to seep in from the corners of her vision.

She felt his hands leave her neck as she pushed herself to the surface, taking in a deep breath of air before coughing up a little bit of water. She lifted herself out of the pool and saw that Crystal had pulled Reihu out of the pool and was freezing the water that was left on him. She glanced around to see where Kotaro was and saw him staggering to his feet.

"Thanks for the help, but I can take it from here," Rhuben said with a grin. "After all, the Darkness is my element."

"Have it your way," Crystal said with a shrug before conjuring three ice crystals in her hand and throwing them at Kotaro. He managed to dodge them before rushing at her claws raised and fangs bared. She managed to dodge his claws, but felt a little snag on the side of her shirt and saw that it had ripped. She aimed a kick at the back of her head but was hit by a blow from Koto. She fell to the ground and bounced once before rolling over, only to be vulnerable to Kotaro's kicks that rained down on her body.

"Two against one, what a dirty trick," Riley commented as she wiped blood from the corner of her mouth. Her hands at her sides burst into flames that were reflected in her dark eyes.

"Remember, _Riles_, the BlackWolves never play by the rules," Koto responded. "But you would know that, by taking DalFang away from us."

"You abused him, so you didn't deserve him," she growled as the flames on her hands got bigger so they reflected in her eyes. "He's better off with me."

"Really? From what I've seen your life sucks since you left Wingz Corp," Koto said with a shrug. "But it's your loss." He slammed his fist into her abs, which knocked the wind out of her. She grabbed his arms as she tried to get the wind back into her. The darkfire spread up his arms and Koto pulled away from her, thrashing his arms to try and get the fire out. Riley kicked him in the chest and knocked him back into the pool. Crystal threw Kotaro over her shoulder and he also landed in the pool.

Rhuben laughed evilly as she held up her hands. Reihu's eyes widened as he slowly sunk into the shadows that he was standing above. Rhuben lowered her arms when Reihu had sunk halfway into the earth. He placed his hands on the ground and tried to get out by putting all of his weight on his hands but he wouldn't budge.

"Freeze 'em so we can get out of here," Riley called over to Crystal as she held her arm in a tight grip.

Crystal raised her hand to do so but stopped when she saw that the pool had been frozen over all ready. Riley glanced over at her before looking down at the pool. "I didn't do it," Crystal said as she raised her hands.

"Who else could have done it? We're the only Elementals around here. I'm sure of it," Riley muttered in confusion.

"Who cares right now? We have to go back in before they get suspicions. The shield can only stay for so long," Crystal responded as she brought her wrist up to her forehead that started to bleed.

"Aw man, we let them get away again," Rhuben groaned when she looked at the ice before she looked at the spot where Reihu was before.

"Realize that we can't just kill them," Riley pointed out. "Let's go back in."

The trio made sure they were somewhat presentable before going back inside, expecting to get interrogated, which they did.

"How'd you get all wet?" Emma asked as she raced out of the room to grab a towel.

"I wasn't paying attention and I fell into the pool," Rhuben responded as she squeezed out her hair. "Clumsy me."

"What took you so long to come back inside, though?" Ash questioned.

"We were making sure no one was hiding in the bushes or anything," Crystal responded. "So, um, what do we do now?"

"Sing karaoke," Rikki responded before rushing into the living room.

"That sounds like fun, I've never heard you sing before," Zane said with a small smile as they all moved into the kitchen.

"You're lucky," Lewis muttered, earning a glare from Rikki.

"Here you go," Emma said as she held the towel out to Rhuben.

"Thanks," she grunted before taking it from her. Emma's eyes widened when she felt a couple of droplets of water land on her hand.

"Umm, I left some Karaoke discs up in my room," she muttered before tearing out of the room. Rhuben's eyebrows knitted together as she watched Emma run up the stairs.

"Maybe you should ask for a change of clothes," Riley suggested. Rhuben nodded before going up the stairs. She looked down the hall and walked towards the light that was coming out of a room. She opened her mouth to call out to Emma when her eyes widened. She couldn't believe what she had just seen.

She saw an orange tail.


	7. A New Discovery?

**Chapter 7: A New Discovery?**

"Emma," Rhuben called as she got over her shock. She told herself that her eyes were playing tricks on her, there was no way she saw a tail. "Do you have any clothes I can borrow?"

"Um...just a minute!" Emma called back before the door closed the rest of the way. Rhuben rested her ear on the door and heard a hair dryer starting. Rhuben chuckled a little before going back downstairs. Riley gave her a questioning look which Rhuben responded with a shrug. They were looking at each other as if they were having a conversation in their minds.

Emma finally came down the stairs with a stack of Karaoke discs in one hand and a folded shirt and jeans in her other hand. "I think they'll fit you. If not, then I can get something else," she said as Rhuben took the clothes out of her hand.

"Thanks." Rhuben quickly left the room as Rikki took a karaoke disc out of Emma's hands and fed it into the player.

"You're going to regret this," Lewis hissed to Ash and Zane as they all sat down in random places around the room. Zane's eyebrow rose as Ash opened his mouth to respond to Lewis when the music started up and Rikki belted out the lyrics.

"_I'm gonna see the sun rising up till the morning light/The time forget about reality and lose your sanity/Just for the night..._" Rikki sang as she made up a dance routine on the spot. Riley's and Crystal's mouths dropped open while Lewis and Cleo clapped their hands over their ears. Ash looked as if he had been slapped in the face and Zane was staring at Rikki in shock. Emma was trying her best to ignore her but was finding it very hard to do. "_Tonight were gonna drift away/Far away tonight tonight tonight tonight!"_

"Oh my god, what is that? It sounds like a dying cat!" Rhuben cried out as she came down the stairs. She stopped abruptly when she saw Rikki still singing and dancing along with the music. "For the sake of my sanity, Riles, Crys, let's go."

"You're leaving all ready? You don't want to try?" Emma asked as she cringed slightly when Rikki's voice cracked.

"I'll pass," Rhuben responded as she raised a hand before staring hard at Riley. She nodded before nudging Crystal and the trio silently left the house.

"That was kind of weird," Emma muttered.

"At least they were able to get away from this torture," Lewis muttered. Cleo lightly elbowed him in the side and gave him a hard look.

"She's not that bad," Cleo said in an unsure tone.

"But she's not good either!"

"Oh, so you think you can do better?" Rikki demanded as she placed a hand on her hip before holding out the microphone to him once the song was finished. "Go on then, give it a go," she said as she waved the microphone. Lewis simply stared at it as Rikki gave him a challenging look.

"Not that I would want to miss Lewis making a fool of himself, I have to go or else Dad will go ballistic," Zane announced as he stood before he walked over to Rikki and kissed her on the cheek. "I'll see you tomorrow, yeah?"

"Yeah," Rikki responded before kissing him on the cheek. She made a face when Emma and Cleo both grinned and hooted.

Zane waved to them before leaving the house and started his walk down the street. He found it ridiculous that his father made him walk all the way to the Gilbert house. Zane kicked at a rock that was by his foot imagining that it was his father's head.

Ever since Zane stopped his father from finding out that Rikki, Cleo, and Emma were mermaids his father didn't trust him as much as he did before. Zane had a curfew, he had a limited time of using the car, and he had to tell his father _exactly_ where he'd be going, what he'd be doing, who he'd be with, and when he'd be back.

Zane let out so much frustration by kicking the rock that he was exhausted by the time he made it back to his house. He fumbled in his pockets for his keys but the door swung open and he was pulled inside before he even had a chance to make a sound.

"Dad, wha-" Zane uttered.

"Zane, we are going to be going places soon," Harrison said happily as he walked into their large kitchen. Zane followed his father; confusion was evident on his face. Zane stood in the doorway of the kitchen as Harrison filled a glass with champagne and downed it in one gulp before filling it again.

"Dad, what are you doing?" Zane demanded as he kept his eyes glued on the champagne bottle that was in his Dad's hands.

"Celebrating, son," Harrison responded as he took another sip of the champagne.

"Celebrating what exactly?" Zane questioned as he sat down on a stool and faced his father.

"A new scientific discovery," Harrison replied as he put his glass down.

"About?" Zane questioned.

"Elementals," Harrison responded.

"Ele-what?" Zane asked.

"Elementals," Harrison repeated. "I've been contacting a couple of scientists who are friends with Dr. Denman, but under a different branch. These scientists basically study super humans. They include but aren't limited to psychics, geniuses, prodigies, and now they are looking into obscure reports about children who can control an element."

"That sounds like something out of a science fiction novel," Zane said with a chuckle. "No one can control an element; it's a load of rubbish."

"We'll just see about that, Zane," Harrison said with a sly smile as he lifted his glass to his lips once more. "We'll just see about that."

-----

"You guys will never believe what bull my Dad came up with last night," Zane called out to Ash and Lewis as he walked over to their lockers the next school day.

"Does it have anything else to do with mermaids?" Ash questioned as he closed his locker door. He made sure that his voice was low so no one would hear him.

"No, it has nothing to do with that," Zane responded, which grabbed Lewis's attention instantly. "My Dad was saying something about what scientists are studying now. They're studying 'super humans'." Zane put finger quotes around the word.

"What?" Ash and Lewis asked in unison.

"Super humans. They're people who have supposed powers. They're studying prodigies, geniuses, psychics, stuff like that. But, Dad told me that they are now trying to study a new type of superhuman called an Elemental."

"What's an Elemental?" Ash asked as the boys started walking towards their class.

"Supposedly it's someone who controls an element. Dad told me that the scientists are studying reports of superhuman behavior right now. If this thing is real, it would be a great scientific breakthrough."

"And you believe that?" Ash asked with an amused smile. "Zane, there are no such things as super humans. Psychics are fake, geniuses have nothing better to do than study, and prodigies are nerds who like to work."

"Ash is right, Zane," Lewis agreed. "Besides, there's nothing scientific about psychics, prodigies, and geniuses." Lewis paused before realization dawned on him. "Are you calling me a nerd?" He demanded as he rounded on Ash who shrugged before continuing to their class room.

"Maybe I'll have better luck with Nate," Zane muttered to himself as he followed the guys into the class room. He scoped the room before moving to the back where Nate was sitting at their table. Zane dropped his books on the top before sitting down in his chair. "What's going on, mate?"

"All girls like flowers and chocolate, right?" Nate asked him suddenly.

"Only the romantic ones," Zane responded. "From what I've learned, not all girls like that romantic thing. Why?"

"I'm trying to figure out what to give Riley to win her over," Nate responded with a smile.

"Mate, that won't win her over," Zane said as he shook his head as Nate who looked over at him. "The only thing that's going to get you is a swift kick to the ass."

"How could you possibly know that?" Nate demanded as he glared at Zane in suspicion. "Are you cheating on Rikki with her? 'Cause I dibsed her."

"One, you can't dibs a person," Zane said as he held up a finger. "Two," he raised another, "I wouldn't cheat on Rikki." He used his two raised fingers to flick Nate in the forehead. "Three, I grew up with Riley so I know how she would react to something like that. Four, you don't have a chance with her _at all_. Five, I bet you that she will _never_ go out with you." Zane slapped his palm against Nate's forehead.

"You really don't think that I can't get Riley to go out with me?" Nate asked with a raised eyebrow, a smile found its way onto his lips as Zane shook his head. "All right. Twenty bucks says I can get her to go out with me by the end of this week."

"You're going to need a month," Zane responded.

"Fine, the end of the month," Nate said with an eye roll as he stuck out his hand. "Deal?"

"Deal!" Zane responded as he shook Nate's hand.


	8. Mako Island Part 1

**Chapter 8: Mako Island Part 1**

"Don't look now, but Charlotte is glaring over here," Rikki whispered as she leaned forward in her seat. Cleo and Emma casually looked over their shoulders, as if looking for something around the room when they saw that Charlotte was glaring at them. "I wonder what's gotten her knickers in a twist."

"It's because she's not part of the 'club' anymore," Cleo commented as she made air quotes.

"Are you sure?" Emma asked.

"What other reason could there be?" Cleo questioned as she rested her cheek against her palm. "She misses being a mermaid so now she's going to try and make our lives miserable."

"She was able to succeed before. Remember? When she took Lewis?" Rikki asked. Emma slapped her on the arm and Rikki looked at her with wide eyes.

"Have some tact, Rikki," Emma said with an eye roll. "Why would she be mad all of a sudden? She was distant before when it finally dawned on her that she couldn't be a mermaid anymore."

"Maybe reality finally set in for her," Cleo suggested.

"Ok. What's she going to do about it? Try to become a mermaid again?" Rikki demanded.

"She might. She knows how it works," Emma spoke up suddenly as her eyes widened. "She knows where Mako is. She could get someone to take her there to try and get her powers back."

"If that does happen, it won't be for a while. There won't be another full moon for a couple of weeks," Rikki spoke up. "I checked," she added when Emma gave her a look. "She's going to probably ask Lewis to help her, but I'm sure we have nothing to worry about."

Cleo wasn't convinced, though. She knew that Charlotte hated Cleo ever since she got Lewis back and she got to keep her powers. Cleo also thought that Charlotte hated her because they were friendly to the new girls off the bat while Charlotte had to work to get their friendship, even if it lasted for about a day. Cleo felt that she could trust the new girls with her secret and not Charlotte, but she knew, with a sinking feeling, that they would have to trust Charlotte even if they didn't want to.

"I don't know, guys, I keep having this bad feeling that she's going to tell our secret," Cleo whispered.

"Oh yeah? How is she going to do that without being questioned herself? She's going to have to say _how_ she found out we're mermaids and then that means she'd have to say that _she_ was a mermaid," Rikki pointed out. "She won't do it. She's too scared."

"You better be right."

Rikki let out a sigh and rolled her eyes. Across the room Riley was doing the same thing, but to something ridiculous that Rhuben had told her and their cousin. A tail? Really? Riley thought that Rhuben had her head stuck in a gym bag too long.

"I saw it," Rhuben said firmly.

"Your eyes could have been playing tricks on you," Riley said with a wave of her hand. Rhuben turned to look at Crystal who shrugged and remained silent. "Was the tail attached to her or did you just see an orange tail flopping on the ground?"

"I just saw it, but I'm pretty sure it was connected to her. That or she's mutating fish in her bathroom," Rhuben replied as she went back to her doodles.

"So, what, are you saying she's a mermaid or something?" Crystal whispered, joining the conversation "Don't tell me you believe in that stuff."

"It's amazing how much you start to believe when a genius like Sydney tells you that mythological beings like mermaids and the Loch Ness monster are real," Rhuben growled.

"It's his dimples, they're blinding," Crystal said with a laugh. "If you honestly believe that Emma's a mermaid-"

"I didn't say I think she was a mermaid," Rhuben interrupted her. "All I said was I saw a big orange tail in her bathroom. What do you think, Riles?"

"I think I want to knock Nate's face off, that's what I think," she growled as her eyes locked on Nate who had just come in through the doorway. He winked at her and Riley flipped him off as Rhuben and Crystal cracked up. "Shut up, you two. You don't know how annoying he is."

"She has a clue," Rhuben said with a smirk as she jerked her thumb in Crystal's direction. Crystal smacked Rhuben on the arm as Riley smirked this time. "This kid named Byron cornered her before school started. He wanted to show her around after school. Listen to her lie."

"I said I had to stay at home 'cause I can't stand in direct sunlight because of a sun allergy," Crystal muttered. Riley held her hand over her mouth so her laughter wouldn't be heard. "Back onto serious matters, what do you think it was that covered her pool with ice?"

"You mean it wasn't you?" Riley questioned.

Crystal shook her head. "I didn't have a chance to even bring my hand up to do it."

"Who else could have done it? There aren't any other Elementals around here," Rhuben commented.

"That we know of," Riley pointed out. "Let's not worry about that now. We have to keep our objective in hand. We have to find the Wingz Corp base and the best bet is Mako Island."

"I got it covered, I'm on an assignment today and I can check out a part of it. We can look around the rest of it later."

"Great. I have to deal with the brat again," Rhuben sighed. "I can't believe she's related to Cleo. They're nothing alike."

"Try to keep your anger in check. We don't want to get anyone suspicious, ok," Riley warned.

"Whatever."

------

"I think Rhuben saw something," Emma admitted after school. The guilt of not saying her suspicions finally got to her. She had kept it to herself all weekend and all day and she felt that she was going to crack under the pressure if she didn't say anything.

"What do you mean you think she saw something?" Lewis demanded as he flung his arm out to stop her from walking forward.

"Remember when they were over at my house and I had to run upstairs before I changed?" Emma asked. Everyone nodded. "I thought I had closed the door the entire way when I tried to dry myself. When Rhuben called to ask if I had any extra clothes she could have seen me. I don't know if she did or not, but she could have."

"She probably didn't see anything. If she did, she would have said something about it," Rikki said in a dismissive tone. "Now, who wants to go shopping? I don't know about you, but I have to do something to take my mind off of school for a little bit."

"I'm in!" Cleo said excitedly as she shot her hand into the air. The two then turned to look at Emma.

"Sorry, I have to work," she said sheepishly.

"Come on, Em. I'm sure Ash would let you have some time off if you ask him," Rikki pointed out.

"That's beside the point. Everyone else would know that I got off just because I'm dating him. It would put him in a bad position and I wouldn't want that. I'll just see you guys later, yeah?"

"All right," Rikki sighed as she watched Emma walk towards her car. "She needs to learn to live a little. I mean, we're not normal but she doesn't take risks."

"She did a few days ago, remember? When she froze the pool to make sure they didn't fall in just in case they got us wet," Cleo pointed out.

"That's just Emma being Emma, that wasn't her taking a risk."

"She did it while they were standing out there. They could have noticed," Lewis pointed out. "I want you guys to lay low for a little bit. No using your powers unless you're around us." He then stared pointedly at Rikki as he added, "Not even to smite people who deserve it."

"Cleo, sometimes I hate your boyfriend. He takes away all of the fun," Rikki grumbled as Cleo smiled sheepishly. "Watch where you're going!" She shouted when Charlotte rammed into her shoulder. Charlotte didn't say anything as she continued running down the street. "I wonder where she's headed in such a hurry."

----

"Are you sure she's coming?" Dr. Denman's assistant asked.

"She said she'd be here, Eric," Linda Denman snapped as she kept her eyes glued on the docks from her position on the boat. She let out a slow sigh when she saw Charlotte running down the dock towards them. She was waving something over her head and had a triumphant smile on her face. Once Charlotte set foot on the boat Linda ordered Eric to start the boat so no one would overhear them. "What're these?" Linda asked as Charlotte took deep breaths to get her breath back.

"Pictures," Charlotte responded as she handed them over to Linda. "Of the mermaid girls that you were studying before. These are more recent. Their powers have changed a lot now. They can control the weather and lightning and stuff."

"Are you sure they still have their powers?" Linda demanded. "Last time I was here they said that they were gone."

"They had them when I got mine," Charlotte responded. "I'm the only one who got theirs taken away. I'd know it if they had theirs taken away."

"All of this happened at Mako Island?" Linda asked.

"Yes," Charlotte responded.

"If Mako Island can give people mermaid powers...I wonder if it can turn people into super humans," Linda muttered to herself.

"What's this about super humans?" Charlotte demanded, catching onto part of the sentence.

"People are starting to study super humans, humans who have special abilities," Linda responded.

"Like psychics?" Charlotte questioned.

"Like psychics," Linda repeated. "I want to look around Mako Island to see if anything about it can turn humans into super humans." Linda went to Eric to check if he had the right coordinates of Mako Island. "We're going to land on the beach instead of swimming there this time."

Charlotte sat down on a cooler before looking out at the island that held her possible future. She knew if she worked with Linda Denman enough that she would have the chance to get her powers back. Linda didn't know that Charlotte was using her. What Charlotte really wanted was for her to get her powers back and for Rikki, Cleo, and Emma to lose theirs.

Charlotte was flipping through her sketch book when she looked out of the corner of her eye as they neared Mako and saw a small boat heading towards the island itself. Charlotte squinted to see if she could recognize who it was. "She's in my class," she muttered to herself when she finally recognized Crystal. _What is she doing out here?_

Charlotte watched intently as Crystal dropped something over the edge of the small boat once she stopped. She stood as she lifted a camera and lowered it around her neck. Crystal stood in the boat, keeping her balance, before holding out her hand. Charlotte's eyes widened when she saw that part of the water that was on the side of the boat froze and she stepped out onto the ice. Crystal turned around to grab something before jumping into the water and disappearing under the surface as the ice cracked and melted almost automatically. Charlotte looked over at Dr. Denman to see that she hadn't been paying attention. _Is she a mermaid too?_


	9. Mako Island Part 2

**Chapter 9: Mako Island Part 2**

Crystal came up to the surface, slightly out of breath. She lifted her mask and pushed her wet bangs off of her forehead as she floated by the boat. She lifted herself into the boat and tossed her snorkel and goggles to the front of boat. She pulled up the anchor before looking at the screen of her digital camera. She smiled when she saw how great the pictures came out on the camera.

She looked down when her cell phone started ringing. "Hey Riles," she greeted her cousin as she looked out at Mako Island. "I'm at work, taking pictures of fish by Mako...yeah, I can swing back and get you guys, meet me at the docks in five...see ya."

She turned around to power up the motor to her boat when she noticed a larger one in the distance. She squinted to try and read what the name of the boat was. She gave up after a couple of seconds and turned on the motor of the boat before grasping the handle and directing the boat as she sped in the opposite direction.

Once she got closer to the larger boat her eyes widened as she let out a little gasp. Still holding onto the engine's steering handle she quickly dialed a number on her phone, making sure to have a firm hold on her phone. "Riles, we have a problem at Mako. She's here!"

"What!?" She yelled, causing Crystal to jerk her phone away from her ear, almost dropping it. "Get your ass back here now!"

"I'm coming, I'm coming!"

Crystal flipped her phone shut and urged her boat to go faster. She kept glancing back over her shoulder as she got closer and closer to the docks. Once she was close enough she turned off the boat and jumped onto the dock. She pulled her boat over and hastily tried to tie it but the knot kept coming loose.

"Having some trouble?" She cringed before looking up to see Byron standing over her. He knelt next to her and looked at the rope in her hands before looking up at her. "I could help." He held out his hands.

Crystal sighed. "Make it fast, ok? I have some places I need to be."

"Sure." Byron leaned over to tie the rope around the dock as Crystal tapped her fingers and glanced at her watch before looking out at the ocean. "What happened to your sun allergy?" He asked.

"Turns out I was allergic to some food," Crystal mumbled.

"That's good. I was wondering, if you're not too busy later, if you wanted to hang out."

"I can't," Crystal replied. "I have to babysit." Once he had the rope tied she jumped to her feet and started running down the dock.

"Wait!" he shouted after her. "You forgot your digital camera!"

"Do me favor and give it to the guy at the front desk of the Seymour building and say it's from me," she replied as she ran backwards. "Thanks!" She turned back around and ran a couple of feet before she literally crashed into Lewis. "Oh, sorry Lewis. I didn't mean to knock you over. I'm in a hurry," Crystal said as she pulled him to his feet.

"It's quite all right," he replied as he bent over to close the lid of his tackle box. "I was getting ready to go fishing again."

"Oh, well the best fish are actually down by the beach today," she replied as she pointed. "Later!" She called over her shoulder as she ran down the street to a Jeep,

Lewis watched as she peeled out of the driveway, almost causing her Jeep to start to tip. She quickly put the car in drive and sped down the road. "I wonder where she's going in such a rush."

Crystal narrowly missed a couple of cars that were driving by her, honking their horns at her driving. She cursed under her breath as she stayed at the speed limit, making sure not to get a ticket or stopped by the police. She swung into the beach's parking lot and held onto the horn, causing others to jump but it grabbed Riley's attention. She said something to her class before running up the beach.

"Hurry! We still gotta get Rhu!"

---

"Ok class, that's it for the day. You're dismissed," Rhuben called over the grunting of the students. She didn't flinch when they let out cheers of relief and slowly shuffled out of the room. She was about to turn to go grab her things when she noticed that her cell phone had lit up. "Hmmm." She flipped it open and listened to the message that was in her voice mail before her eyes widened. "Damn!"

She grabbed her bag and raced out of the dance room, down the hall, out the door, and ran down the street. Her bag thudded against her side as she ran as fast as he could to get to the beach. Right as she made it there Crystal drove up in their Jeep with Riley in the passenger side.

"Hurry!" Riley shouted as Rhuben threw her bag into the back before jumping into the Jeep. "How fast can we get there?" Riley shouted over the wind as Crystal sped down the street.

"As fast as I can go without breaking the speed limit," Crystal replied. "By boat we'll go slower so we're going to have to take jet skis."

"Across the ocean like that?" Rhuben questioned.

"You have any other ideas?"

"Nope. I was just making sure you're not worried about drowning."

"Drowning is the least of our worries right now."

Once Crystal parked the Jeep the three girls jumped out and ran to the docks. Riley wanted to question how Crystal got three jet-skis there but she kept her mouth shut and jumped onto it. She reached over and grabbed the key from Crystal and jammed it into the hole. Once it started she took off ahead of her sister and her cousin, knowing that they were close behind her.

"Why here, of all places?" Crystal shouted over the rushing wind and the spraying sea.

"She's here like she was in Cali before," Rhuben shouted back. "To stick her nose where it doesn't belong. If she finds what we think is there...we're done. Reports on super humans are coming in more frequently, even more than UFO sightings."

"After she was discovered as a fraud for that mermaid thing she's decided to move onto something else she knows nothing about and is going to get herself killed with," Riley added.

_'Mermaid?'_ Rhuben's mind started spinning as thoughts slammed into her head. _'Riles told me something about her being discovered as a fraud at Mako Island and I know I saw a large fish tail at Emma's house. Is he a mermaid? Is Dr. Denman using the idea of super humans as a cover? Are we actually safe?'_

"I don't see her boat," Crystal muttered as the girls got closer to the shore. "She must've moved it so no one would know that anyone is out here." She bit her lip. "Careful as we get closer. There are sharks near here and there could be poisonous plants on the island."

"Poison should be the least of your worries," Riley pointed out.

-----

"Ah, it's about time you show up," Cleo commented as she lifted her sunglasses and smiled at Emma who sat down at the table that she was sharing with Rikki. Rikki smiled as she set down her glass. "Are you ready to hit a few stores?" She questioned as she looked down at the shopping bags that were by their feet.

"I was actually thinking of going for a swim," Rikki replied as she looked out at the ocean in the distance. "The weather seems to be better today than ever before and I don't want to pass up the chance to enjoy it as much as I can."

"But Lewis said that we shouldn't use our powers," Cleo pointed out.

"Our powers, right. He never said we weren't allowed to _swim_," Rikki shot back as her smile got wider when she noted the smiles that were forming on their faces. "Come _on_!"

"Ok, but only for a little bit. I have to go home and watch Elliot," Emma replied before jumping up. Rikki and Cleo followed her lead, rushing behind her. They dropped their bags in the back of Cleo's car. They ran down the sidewalk, keeping their eyes on the blue horizon. Sprinting down the beach, they raced each other to the waves, running until the water reached their hips and they dove under.

The mermaid transformation began. Cleo remembered how uncomfortable it was for her to feel her legs being replaced with a fin but she embraced the feeling now. Holding her arms out in front of her she smiled as she looked through the water to see Rikki and Emma on either side of her. She mouthed, "Mako?"

Rikki nodded and Emma mouthed, "Race you" before taking off through the water, leaving a trail of bubbles behind her. Rikki shook her head slightly before taking off after her. Cleo took her time, admiring the beautiful blue that the sun cast above her.

She stopped to look at the fish that swam by her, feeling very special that she was one of a few people in the world that could actually be that close to fish without having to scuba dive. She reached out to touch a brightly colored fish but it scurried away before she could touch it.

Shrugging, she surged forward through the water, feeling it pull her hair behind her as the glided through the water. She finally reached Mako's underwater entrance and swam through. She lifted her head into the air and took a breath, noticing that holding it had become easier for her. Looking up she noticed that Emma and Cleo were standing above her, waiting.

"What took you so long?" Rikki asked as she tied her shoe. "You were admiring the fish again, weren't you? You have fish at home; it's time we can discover what else is on Mako. Who knows, we can find a waterfall that could turn is into fairies." Emma hit her on the arm lightly as Rikki shrugged and Cleo laughed.

The girls made their way out of the small cave and stepped onto the rocks that concealed the entrance to the cave. The sound of the rushing waterfall filled their ears as they looked around the area. "Let's go this way," Emma said as she pointed behind them.

The girls giggled and talked about spending time with their boyfriends and what the boys did for them when they heard a large crash that caused all of them to jump. They looked at each other and, wordlessly, ran to see what the noise was coming from. Rikki feared that it was some people who were trying to build on the island and wouldn't hesitate to put a stop to it.

"Wait, it's stopped," Cleo pointed out, stopping the girls from running. They stood still, trying to figure out where the sound had come from.

Rikki tensed when she heard a twin snap behind her. She started to turn around but was knocked to the ground and held there.

"What're you doing here?" Riley hissed as she held Rikki down. Cleo and Emma looked up when Rhuben and Crystal came in through the clearing.

"We're...we're exploring," Emma replied. "What're you doing here?"

"We're-" Riley was cut off by Rikki throwing Riley off of her and by the sound of a gunshot when the tree bark near Cleo's head splintered. "RUN!"

Cleo and Emma hesitated to do as they were told before they heard another gunshot noise and they took off running after Crystal and Rhuben. Riley pulled Rikki to her feet and made her run ahead of them. Riley glanced around herself as she continued running, making sure that no one was sneaking up on them.

"In here." Rhuben pointed to a waterfall that was ahead of them. Emma stopped so suddenly that Rikki and Cleo crashed into her. She followed Rhuben with her eyes as she moved around the pool and disappeared behind the waterfall. "Come on!" Her voice was a little muffled from the roar of the waterfall. Rikki ran around the edge of the pool, like Rhuben did seconds before. Emma raced after her and Cleo finally followed.

"Take this," Riley said as she held her palm out to Crystal once they were near the entrance of the cave behind the waterfall. A small square shaped object was in her palm. "For a fire," she explained when she met Crystal's questioning gaze.

Crystal pulled an oval shaped object out of her pocket and held it out to Riley. The two girls exchanged objects before Crystal went to the back of the cave where Rhuben, Cleo, Emma, and Rikki were sitting down.

"Ok, we deserve some answers," Rikki spoke up. "Why are you here? Why did you make us run?"

"We're here to stop Dr. Denman," Rhuben replied as her eyes hardened. Once Crystal started a fire with the lighter that was in her hands they seemed to reflect the light. "We made you run because you would've been killed if you kept standing there."

"The whole story," Emma spoke up, surprising all of them and herself and her friends at the harshness of her tone.

Rhuben looked over at Riley who was standing by the mouth of the cave, staring back. She nodded slightly and Rhuben sighed. "When we were nine our house burnt down. People blamed Riley because they claimed that she was a destructive child. Our parents died in that fire so we were sent to live with Crystal and her father in California. The only reason we moved back here was because we were being chased by Dr. Denman. We thought if we left California that she wouldn't know we were here, but she found us again. Now we're trying to stop her, we're not running away again."

"Why'd you run away in the first place?" Cleo questioned.

"Because she wants to run tests on us and make us lab rats," Riley replied bitterly as she walked over to them, clutching the oval object tight in her fist.

"But why-"

"We're Elementals," Crystal blurted out. "Super humans. We have powers and Dr. Denman wants to use them and exploit us. She's working for Core, the ruler of Wingz Corp. He has people chasing us to try and get us. He wants to destroy us. Dr. Denman is working for him because she thinks he wants to exploit us too."

"So she's not here looking for mermaids?" Cleo asked, before Rikki or Emma could shush her.

"No, she's not looking for you," Rhuben replied. Emma sucked in her breath as Rhuben stared at them. "I saw a tail in Emma's bathroom. I just put two and two together. You're mermaids, right?" They stayed silent. "You know about us, it's only fair that we know about you."

"Yes...we are," Emma admitted. "There's a cave near here, which we call the Moon Pool, is what turned us into mermaids. If you're in the water during a certain moon then you'll get mermaid powers. We turn into mermaids every time we touch water."

"Which is why you quit the swim team?" Crystal questioned. Emma looked at her. "The coach told me when I was asking about the sports here."

"Exactly," Emma replied. "Charlotte was a mermaid too." That caught the other three girls by surprise. "She abused her power, though. We tricked her into giving hers up. That's why she doesn't like us. She hates how we still have our powers and she doesn't."

"That's who we saw with Denman," Riley added.

"WHAT!?" Emma, Rikki, and Cleo shouted in unison.

"She's going to try and be a mermaid again, I just know it," Cleo growled as she clenched her hands into fists.

"Not if we can stop her," Rhuben said with a smirk as her eyes flashed in amusement.

"How will you do that?" Rikki asked. "Jump out of the woods and scare her?"

"We're Elementals," Riley reminded her as she opened her palm, a flame floated above it. "We won't need to do much," she added in a dark tone as the flame got bigger before she engulfed it with her palm and it snuffed out.

"So you can control fire?" Emma asked. Riley nodded. "What about you two?"

"Ice," Crystal replied. "Wind sometimes too."

"Darkness," Rhuben replied.

"Darkness? How?" Cleo asked.

"I can move through the darkness and stuff," she replied vaguely. "Unlike your powers, ours can't go away."

"How'd you get it?" Rikki asked.

"You're born with it," Crystal explained. "In a family, there's usually at least one person with dormant Elemental genes. It's rare to have more than one person have it. But our family isn't really normal. Their siblings and they each have Elemental powers while I'm the only one in my family, seeing as I'm an only child so it was bound to get to me."

"Don't tell Lewis this or he'll run tests on you," Rikki said as she stared pointedly at Cleo.

"Lewis!" She gasped. "He's going to want to know where we are!" She quickly pulled out her phone.

"He's only going to get himself into the trouble that he doesn't need to be in," Riley barked at her. "Drop the phone." Cleo slowly put the phone down.

"Wait, if Dr. Denman has been working with...Core, why did she suddenly start looking for mermaids?" Emma questioned.

"She got distracted," Crystal said with a shrug. "That does happen for a marine biologist." She rolled her eyes.

"Wait, she was working with Harrison Bennet before," Emma quickly spoke up. "Is he working for Core too?"

"It wouldn't surprise me," Rhuben growled. "He almost gave us away before. Why do you think we hate Zane so much?"

"Zane isn't like his father," Rikki blurted out. "He stopped Harrison from exploiting us when he found out we were mermaids. He won't do it to you guys."

"Can you be sure about that? Guys are known to be two faced."

"I'm sure," Rikki said in a stern tone.

Riley's head suddenly whipped around as if she had heard something. Crystal and Rhuben visibly tensed as they also looked towards the mouth of the cave. "They're here," she announced as Rhuben and Crystal rushed to her side.


	10. Can I Be Your Memory?

**Chapter 10: Can I Be Your Memory?**

"Man! It's about time we got off that flight!" a young boy commented as he stretched his arms above his head. He smiled brightly, dimples forming in his cheeks adding innocence to his cherubic smile.

"Sydney, we weren't flying that long," another boy commented as he pulled off his silver bucket hat and scratched his head before replacing it. He gave Sydney a peaceful smile when the little boy pouted.

"Ah, don't ruin his attitude, Noah." A boy who looked exactly like Noah, except for his black and blond Mohawk, stumbled over carrying baggage under his arms. "The last thing we need is for Syd to be upset."

"Actually, the last thing we need is for you to destroy our things, Pat." The three young boys turned around as a teenage boy and a man walked over to them, papers were in their hands. "The car's waiting outside. All we need is the address for the house."

"I got it right here, Julius," Sydney said as he patted his pocket and smiled at the teenager. Julius ruffled Sydney's hair as he giggled a little. "Uncle Christian, can we see the dolphin show today? Please? Please?" he stuck out his lower lip and widened his sky blue eyes to form an innocent face.

"Sydney, don't forget the real reason we're here," the man, addressed as Christian, told him before lifting a bag's strap over his shoulder and looking down at the piece of paper. "Come on." He led the group of boys through the throngs of people leaving the airport and entering the airport to get to their car. Once he reached the rental car, Patrick, Noah, and Sydney fought over who got to sit in the front seat.

"Here I thought the fighting was done," Julius commented as he rubbed his forehead. He could feel a headache forming. Being the oldest of the family he was used to their fighting, but he thought they would stop by now. Patrick and Noah he expected would be over their arguing, especially since they were thirteen, but he let them go at it. It was just their way of expressing their love for each other. It was inevitable seeing as they were complete opposites.

Sydney, being eight, loved to be the center of attention, which he always got because he deemed himself the cute and innocent one and strived to flaunt it. Being a self-proclaimed genius also helped him out in many situations. He could easily outsmart one of them to get the front seat.

"No way, suckers, I get shotgun," Julius said as he shoved the boys to the back of the car, ignoring their groans. "There's a TV back there." Instantly, the three boys jumped into the back of the car.

"Thanks." Christian smiled at his oldest nephew.

"No problem. I'm sure you were tired of their fighting too," Julius replied before getting into the car. Christian pulled out of the parking lot and merged into the traffic on the busy streets of Australia. Sydney kept his nose pressed against the window as he looked out at the familiar landscape he called home before. Of course, he was only one at the time and he didn't remember that much about it, but he always dreamed of coming back. He didn't want it to be because of their current situation, but he was glad that they were there nonetheless.

After twenty minutes of driving around they turned into a neighborhood. "Now, look for a jeep," Sydney instructed as he folded the piece of paper that was in his hands. "Whatever driveway has a jeep is their house."

"Someone else could have a jeep, Syd," Noah pointed out.

"Yes, but I checked to make sure they were the only ones," he replied. "Wait, that's it!" He practically shouted as he leaned forward and pointed between Julius's and Christian's heads. Christian pulled into the driveway behind the jeep and the five boys got out of the car, stretching.

"Are you sure? There's no jeep," Patrick pointed out.

"It's the same address," Noah said as he looked over Sydney's shoulder. Sydney looked back and forth between the paper and the house number before confirming Noah's statement with a nod. Julius looked around before lifting the doormat and finding a key.

"They never were that bright about keys," he muttered before unlocking the door. "Get your stuff and put it in. I'll go and see if I can find out where they are."

"Let me come," Sydney said eagerly as he helped pull suitcases out of the back of the car.

"Ok Syd, but you have to do as I say."

Once everyone was in the house Julius jumped into the driver's seat. He waited for Sydney to buckle up before pulling out of the driveway. He drove into town, thinking of a place to go to find some high schoolers. With Sydney's smarts he was able to find out where his sisters attended school. They should've known that it would only be a matter of time before they got Sydney on their tail.

"So _this_ is the JuiceNet Café," Sydney muttered to himself as he pushed the beads aside and the two boys stepped into the café. "Ooh, banana smoothie!" He cheered before walking towards the counter. Julius grabbed him by the back of the shirt and pulled him back towards himself. "Whaaaat?" He whined.

"No food. Not yet," Julius replied. "We have to find where Riley and Rhuben are."

"I could've told you that," Sydney said with a scoff. "They're at Mako Island."

"How come you didn't say anything before?" Julius asked through clenched teeth.

"You didn't ask," Sydney replied cheekily. "Can I get my smoothie now?"

----

"Is it safe to go? We've been standing here for five minutes," Rikki asked as she crossed her arms and walked over to Riley and Rhuben who were standing by the mouth of the cave.

"No, we're going to make you wait because we love your complaining," Rhuben replied sarcastically as she rolled her eyes. "It must've been a false alarm," she said more to Riley than anyone else.

"That's what's weird. We're never wrong about that," Riley commented thoughtfully. "We might as well leave."

"What about the water?" Cleo questioned. Riley let out a breath and held out her hand. A stream of fire conjured a few inches away from her palm and hit the waterfall, causing smoke to rise as a split formed.

"No, you idiot!" Crystal hissed as she slapped Riley's arm away. Riley glared at her. "Dr. Denman's here! She could see it and come rushing over here!"

"Ok, what do you propose we do, oh smart one?"

Crystal smiled as an icy breeze blew behind them. Emma suddenly shrieked and backed away from a tiger that had appeared in the middle of the cave. He stepped forward, directly behind the waterfall, and blew gently. The waterfall pulled to the sides, like the blinds to a curtain. "Thanks," Crystal said as she patted his head. He nodded before disappearing. "What?" She asked when she noticed, Cleo, Rikki, and Emma looking up at her.

"What was that?" Cleo demanded.

"My guardian," Crystal replied. "Oh, we forgot to mention. Every Elemental has a guardian to protect them. They have a beast form and a human form. They really come in handy in sticky situations. Come on. Out you go."

"Dr. Denman knows about the Moon Pool. What if she finds out about how to work it?" Emma asked without moving.

"We can change her memory," Rhuben replied simply before walking out of the cave, stepping on the now dry stones of the bottom of the pool.

"What? How? Is it some potion you make up?" Cleo asked as she stepped forward.

"Uh, no," Riley replied. "We can just do it. We can change Charlotte's memory if you want."

"There has to be a catch," Emma said suspiciously as the three girls stepped out of the cave. Once they were on the grass the water continued to fall normally.

"There is," Crystal replied. "They can get selective parts of their memory back if it's triggered right. Also, the only way it will work is if we place the 'spell' I guess you can call it...in their drink. This will be easy. Denman's boat has to be here. We can sneak on, mess up her drink, and leave. Charlotte we can hit at school." She turned to face Emma, Cleo, and Rikki who had weary looks on their faces. "It will return your lives to normal for a while. Well, as normal as it can get with you being fish."

"Let's just get out of here. I'm going to miss my date with Lewis," Cleo sighed as they began walking towards the shore.

"We wouldn't want _that_ to happen," Rikki muttered sarcastically.

Riley led the way back to the beach, looking over her shoulder from time to time. She, Rhuben, and Crystal got onto their WaveRunners as Cleo, Rikki, and Emma dove into the ocean. They followed the WaveRunners to Dr. Denman's boat. Riley pulled up right by the ladder and grabbed the bottom rung. She swung pulled herself up as the other girls floated by the boat, waiting anxiously.

"Make it fast," Rhuben hissed.

"I'm _not_ Patrick," Riley hissed back as she climbed up the ladder with inhuman speed. They could hear her feet tapping the deck before they faded away quickly. Rhuben tapped her fingers against the handles impatiently as she looked around. She squeezed her eyes shut when she felt pain in her chest. She gripped the handlebars so hard her knuckles turned white. Crystal looked over at her out of the corner of her eye. Rhuben nodded slightly without opening her eyes, letting Crystal know that she had everything under control.

"Ok, we're good," Riley said as she slid down the ladder and landed on her WaveRunner, groaning with pain. "Let's move it." Cleo, Rikki, and Emma sped ahead as the others moved at slightly slower pace behind them. They followed the girls' wake all the way back to the docks. "Hmm? It's only five thirty," Riley muttered as they tied their WaveRunners to the dock.

"I have to go meet Lewis," Cleo said excitedly as she clasped her hands together. "I'll see you later." She gave them a small wave before skipping off happily.

"Suddenly I feel ill," Rikki commented as she held her stomach.

"I was thinking the same thing," Riley admitted.

"Let's go to the JuiceNet," Emma suggested. "I can get you something for free."

"Free is my favorite word!" Crystal cheered as she punched her fist into the air. Riley grunted as she followed the other girls inside. Something told her that she shouldn't go in there but she ignored it and kept going. "Uh-oh," Crystal muttered.

"Oh no," Riley and Rhuben whispered.

"It's about time! Sydney practically drank his weight in smoothie," Julius commented as he pushed back his chair and walked over to the girls, pulling them into a bone-crushing hug as Emma and Rikki watched in confusion.

"And you let him? Those things are filled with sugar!" Riley said as she rushed over to the smiling boy who was kicking his legs back and forth, sipping through a straw.

"Julius, let go!" Rhuben said as she shoved her older brother away. "How'd you find us?" She demanded.

"Sydney," he replied with an eye roll. "Did you really think that he couldn't track you? Please." He scoffed.

"Julius, these are our friends Emma and Rikki," Crystal suddenly spoke up. "Emma, Rikki, this is Julius, one of my cousins and Riley's and Rhuben's oldest brother. Over there is Sydney, my youngest cousin and their youngest brother."

"Nice to meet you," Emma said politely as she shook Julius's hand. He nodded as he shook their hands. "What're you doin' here? I mean, you said you had to _track_ them so I'm assuming you weren't here before."

"We're here to make sure these two don't do anything stupid-" Julius jerked his thumbs in Riley's and Rhuben's directions. "-and bring _her_-" he pointed at Crystal "-down with them."

"Wait, why isn't _she_ accused of doing something stupid? _Ever_?" Rhuben asked angrily.

Julius merely laughed. "You amuse me, lil' sis. So what're you doing back here?"

"Long story short, we're stopping Dr. Denman," Crystal replied as they walked over to the table. "Actually, we _stopped_ Dr. Denman. At least for a while." _Hopefully._

* * *

**A/N:** Don't think that's the last of Dr. Denman and Charlotte, you _so_ know that it's not. Hahaha. Thanks for the wait; I hope you liked this chapter. More characters mean more drama. The boys (aka Ash, Zane, Nate, Byron, and Lewis) will have more screen time, don't worry. So will Charlotte, even though i hate her. Please review. ~Crystal


	11. Don’t Trust a Flirt

**Chapter 11: Don't Trust a Flirt**

"Wait here for us after school, ok Sydney?" Noah said as he ruffled his younger brother's hair. "If anything happens we'll be right over in this building, it shouldn't be hard to find us. Make new friends and try not to get into trouble again."

"Geeze, you play one little trick on the teacher and you get suspicious of me," Sydney cried out as he threw his hands into the air. "Stop worrying, I'll be fine. It's Patrick you should worry about." He leaned over to watch Patrick trying to open a door that was clearly marked 'push'. "For good reason."

"Go to class Syd," Noah said as he ruffled Sydney's hair again. Sydney waved goodbye before rushing into his school. He stopped by the office to get his schedule and his locker number before following a group of people down the hall before he got to a classroom. He looked at his piece of paper before approaching the teacher.

"Hi. Are you...Ms. Ackerman?" He asked politely, referring to his schedule.

"Yes I am. You must be Sydney Jackson," she replied with a smile and he nodded enthusiastically. She placed a hand on his shoulder and turned him to face the class. "Class, this is Sydney Jackson. He came here from Los Angeles, California."

"Hi," he greeted them somewhat shyly with a short wave. Some people in the class greeted him back.

"Sydney, you can take a seat next to...Elliot Gilbert," she said as she pointed to the blond haired boy that was sitting by a blond haired girl.

Sydney nodded and made his way to the back of the room. He dropped his bag and smiled his dimpled smile. "Hi. I'm Sydney Jackson," he greeted them.

"Did you say Jackson?" The girl asked as she leaned forward. Sydney's eyes shifted as he nodded. "Do you have sisters in grade 11?" He nodded again. "I have a sister in grade 11 too. Her name's Cleo Sertori. I'm Kim. Elliot has a sister named Emma who's also in grade 11."

"Emma? I've met her. I met her yesterday, actually. Her and a girl named Rikki," Sydney commented.

"She's also my sister's friend. They're really weird." Kim dropped her voice. "They keep disappearing and they won't go anywhere near water."

"They could have Aquagenic Urticaria," Sydney replied with a shrug. Kim and Elliot stared at him in confusion. "An allergy to water. It's not common but it's possible."

"I don't think that's it," Kim replied. "They're hiding something, I know it. They're in a cult or something."

"I'm pretty sure Emma isn't in a cult," Elliot spoke up.

"Or maybe...they're planning on running away with their boyfriends to get married," Kim suggested as Sydney and Elliot gave her odd looks. "It makes sense! They're always with their boyfriends. They spent every day with them; I've never seen them alone. I say we spy on them and then rat them out."

"Does she always jump to conclusions like that?" Sydney asked Elliot as they opened their books.

"Mhm. She always drags you into their schemes too," Elliot sighed. Sydney covered his mouth, stifling a giggle as Kim glared at them.

"Boys," she muttered.

Meanwhile, at the high school, Zane had waved goodbye to his father and started his way to his locker. He spotted his friend Nate and rushed over to him, ready to ask how his previous attempt at asking Riley out went. When he got close to Nate a foul odor filled his nose. "Ugh! What is that smell?" Zane made a face as Nate turned around by his locker, a big smile on his face. "Don't tell me it's you!" He added as Nate rolled his eyes. "It is! God, why are you wearing that stuff?" He held his arm up to his nose to protect his nostrils from the invading smell.

"One sniff of this cologne and Riley will fall for me," Nate replied as he put the bottle back into his locker.

"What about Cleo?" Zane asked.

"Zane, I know now not to mess with a girl who's dating some other guy," Nate replied. "Besides, she was hotter when she was single."

"Let me see if I can understand this," Zane said more to himself than to Nate. "You think Cleo is hot, but you liked her better when she was single, even when she was kind of seeing Lewis?"

"Exactly," Nate replied as he fastened his over the shoulder bag onto himself. "Is it that hard to understand? That's why I'm going after Riley. I know for a fact she doesn't have a boyfriend here or anywhere else. Now I can make my move."

"That's going to be hard, seeing as she hates you," Zane pointed out.

"We'll see. Look, there she is." He pointed across the lawn where Emma, Rikki, and Cleo walked up to Riley, Rhuben, and Crystal. Riley was saying something to the other three girls, who exchanged worried glances. Riley said something else and their faces relaxed slightly before the girls parted ways. "I'll see you later, mate." Nate closed his locker door and raced across the lawn, stopping right in front of Riley who glared at him. "Hey Riley, nice day isn't it?"

"What's with guys and the weather?" Crystal asked Rhuben, who shrugged but remained silent.

"Mhm, it's Sunny with a hundred percent chance of a _burn_!" Riley replied. Rhuben leaned back and saw Riley slowly raising her wrist so her palm was facing out.

"_Chill_, Riles!" Crystal grabbed Riley's wrist and pulled her away from Nate.

"That's _so_ not funny!" Riley muttered. The three ran away from him, leaving him standing there dumbfounded. He pulled his shirt away from himself and smelled his cologne.

"Strike two," Zane said in amusement as he passed by, gripping Rikki's hand. Rikki smirked at him.

Nate angrily stomped on the ground before he let out a sigh and decided to get to his class. _'Why can't I ever get a girl?'_ He asked himself as he slowly trudged to class. _'I don't get it. I mean, Zane even managed to get..._Rikki. _And Rikki hated him so much at first, what changed?' _He growled in frustration. _'Girls don't make sense.'_

He got into the classroom before the teacher closed the door on him and slipped into his seat. He had study hall first period and the teacher was a pushover so no one really did any work. Nate grinned, thinking it was the perfect time to get some information on Riley to win her over, and who knew her better than her sister or cousin? They weren't there, so Zane was a close second.

"What do you know about Riley?" He asked Zane out of the blue.

"I know that she hates you," Zane replied, opening a notebook. "I'm not going to help you win this bet. That'd be cheating."

"No, that'd be helping you lose," Nate corrected. "C'mon, mate. You've known her since you were nine; you _have_ to know something useful about her."

"I _met_ her when we were nine and I didn't talk to her that much." Zane sighed. "Seeing as you're going to need all the help you can get, I might as well tell you something so it will be fair." He rubbed his temples. "She likes music and she plays the guitar."

"Oh, that's cool. I could give her a lesson." Zane could all ready see the little gears in his head turning.

"Uh, no you can't. She's been playing since she was four. She's really good; she'd be giving you the lesson."

"Oh." Nate thought. "Well, I can serenade her!"

"I don't think that's a good idea," Zane warned him.

"Why not?" Nate demanded.

"Have you seen her muscles? She could knock you out in a single punch!" He exclaimed as Rikki came back into the room.

"What're you talking about?" Rikki asked.

"He wants to get Riley to date him but I'm trying to tell him it's a bad idea," Zane replied.

"No, let him, I think it'd be funny," Rikki said with a laugh as Nate made a face at her. "Why are you being so defensive now? You didn't care before whenever you made a fool out of yourself around a girl."

"It's different," Nate muttered.

"Different how?" Rikki questioned, raising her eyebrows and grinning as she waited for his response. He stayed silent. "You're just going to crash and burn like usual."

"How do you know? She just moved here a few days ago."

"I know her better than you do. Get it through your head, Nate, no girl likes a player and there's no way Riley will ever fall for you."

"We'll see." Nate angrily grabbed his books and moved to the other side of the room.

"Now that he's gone, look at this," Zane said as he put his laptop on his desk and turned it to Rikki could read the screen. "It's more information about super humans."

"This again?" Rikki sighed. "Zane, stop it. There are no such things as super humans." She made sure she kept a straight face so he wouldn't tell that she was lying. She didn't want to give away her friends' secret, not when she promised them that she wouldn't say anything. If she told, then they might turn their back on her and tell the media about their mermaid powers, and that's not what Rikki wanted to think about let alone happen.

"That's like saying there are no such things a mermaids, and look how that turned out," he muttered as he stared at the screen. Rikki glared at him, but he ignored it as he continued searching the web.

"Zane, you're doing it again," she told him. "You're starting to become obsessive over it. If you care more about those...'super humans' than me, then we're done."

Zane held his hands over the keyboard and looked up into Rikki's face, trying to decide if she were serious not. Her blue eyes held his gaze as she crossed her arms over her chest and gave him a hard look. Silence stretched between the two. "Whatever, loser."

"Rikki," Zane called after her, but it fell on deaf ears. He groaned and ran a hand through his hair, letting out a slow breath.

"Trouble in paradise?" Nate asked with a smug look as he passed by.

"Shut up, Nate."

-----

"Guys, I'm worried," Cleo muttered, moving her tail gently so it caused ripples at the surface of the Moon Pool. Emma, Cleo, and Rikki swam there straight after school and right now they were waiting for Riley, Crystal, and Rhuben to join them. Cleo had been worried all day once Riley told them that they couldn't erase Charlotte's memory, but could only alter it. It was now like she had amnesia, she couldn't remember anything about being a mermaid and thought that the only reason she wasn't friends with the other girls was because she tried to take Lewis away from Cleo. Cleo was a little bit relaxed once she found out that they were successful in erasing part of Dr. Denman's memory and that she had gone back to California that morning.

"About what?" Emma asked as she swam over to Cleo.

"What if Dr. Denman's memory wasn't erased entirely? What if Charlotte remembers about us being mermaids? What if she decides to call up Dr. Denman and tell her everything?" Cleo asked, biting her lower lip.

"Lewis said she promised she wouldn't say anything. Changing her memory was just...an extra precaution," Emma tried to convince her.

"Yeah, and in a way we're safe. Dr. Denman wasn't after us in the first place. She was after the Jacksons and Crystal all this time," Rikki added as she floated on her back.

"Ahhh, thanks for your vote of confidence," Riley commented sarcastically, stepping into the cave area, followed closely behind by Rhuben and Crystal. Rikki merely shrugged, continuing to float on her back. "But you shouldn't be worried. We've erased memories tons of times before."

"Why?" Cleo asked.

"When someone sees you using your powers in public, well nothing is really a secret anymore is it? Especially in school," Crystal replied, sitting down on the rock ledge above them.

"You got found out at _school_?" Emma's eyes widened.

"On accident," Rhuben replied with a shrug. "It's hard to keep things quiet when assassins have broke in and are in the process of trying to kill you."

"Assassins?" Emma, Cleo, and Rikki repeated.

"This is going to take a while," Riley sighed, sitting down to get comfortable. "Dr. Denman works part time for a guy named Core. He is the leader of WingzCorp, a group who are trying to get rid of the 'good' Elementals." Riley put finger quotes around the word good. "Under WingzCorp, there are different divisions of people to take down people of that Element. For example, the BlackWolves are a division that goes after Elementals of Fire. The DarkLions go after the Elementals of Darkness, and so on. Dr. Denman is helping Core try to get to us, to him, we're his strongest adversaries. With us out of the way, he can take over and control all of the Elementals of the world."

"So how'd you get found out?" Rikki questioned.

"Well, when someone comes crashing through your classroom window it's hard to stop yourself from going with your first instinct which is to knock their teeth out," Crystal replied.

"You're making it seem like they...stalk you," Cleo muttered.

"That's the nice way of putting it," Riley said dryly. "That's basically what they do, actually," she admitted, running a hand through her hair, pushing it out of her face. "They hunt us down like animals and attack us, day or night. They don't care who's around, they don't care who they hurt as long as they can get to us." Riley's statement ended with bitterness that drew their attention to her. Her hands were clenched into fists and were shaking from rage. Her jaw was set and her gaze was glued to the floor, even thought it seemed like she was focused on something.

"Are you ok?" Emma asked after a couple of seconds of silence.

"Fine," she replied stiffly before standing. "I gotta go." Without another word, she quickly walked out of the cave. She crawled back up the slope and squeezed her eyes shut from the sudden sunlight that hit her face. Once she was on her feet, she let out a growl and a bush nearby suddenly burst into flame, but it wasn't a normal flame, it was darker and seemed to be out of control. Riley let out a slow breath and the flame slowly went away. "That was too close," she muttered as she looked at her hands, a faint red outline was present.

She jogged back to the beach, instantly spotting her Wave Runner. She swung her leg over it and started the ignition. As she sped across the surface of the ocean, the sea breeze helped clear her mind and calm her down a little bit. She hadn't meant to reveal that much about them, but she let it slip, and instantly hated herself for it. Now she had dragged them into something that they didn't belong in and Koto would use that against her, to try and get a weakness out of her.

Riley clenched her teeth. _He knows so much about me all ready; I practically dug my own grave._ She mentally slapped herself as she pulled up to the dock. She jumped onto it and tied her Wave Runner to the docks, double knotting it just to be safe.

"Ah, Riley, I'm surprised to see you here."

_Oh, not now!_ Fearing the worst, Riley slowly turned around, only to see Nate smiling at her. "What do you want?'

"Surfing lesson, remember? It's not right for the coach to be late. Someone told me that you were out in the ocean with your cousins doing something," he replied as he rested his surfboard against a wooden post. "I wanted to make sure you were ok. The ocean is an unpredictable place."

Riley studied his face, trying to determine if he were telling the truth or not about wanting to make sure if she were ok. She crossed her arms over her chest and glared at him as she recounted one of her life rules: _Never Trust a Flirt._ "Nice try, but I cancelled lessons for today, remember?" The smile faded from Nate's face. "Leave me alone Nate, if you know what's best for you."

"Just give me one chance," Nate begged as he followed her down the docks.

Above them, sitting on top of a building, Koto watched the exchange with narrowed eyes and a clenched jaw. He absentmindedly squeezed his hands into fists. The pain registered in his mind when he felt his nails puncture his skin. He glanced down at his hands briefly before setting his eyes on Mako in the distance as a slow, sinister smile came to his face.

* * *

**A/N:** I was going to put more Byron, Lewis, and Ash in this chapter but I decided to save it for the next one. You now know a little bit more about Elementals but not enough yet. Also, you can see a little bit of a human side to Nate, which he deserves even though he's a huge jerk in the show. Please read and review.

~Crystal


	12. Too Close for Comfort

**Chapter 12: Too Close for Comfort**

Lewis had been staring at his computer screen for so long that he finally had to turn away because the words were losing focus. Like usual, he was trying to find out more about the girls and how they got their mermaid powers but nothing was making sense to him. He couldn't find the science behind why a full moon gave them their powers, and it was starting to annoy him.

For the past four days he had been sitting in the library, trying to find anything he could about the full moon but he came up with nothing. Also, he was starting to annoy Cleo with his constant searching. She kept telling him to embrace what had happened to them because it made them happy, but he couldn't let it go for fear that they would be discovered one day.

Also he, under Zane's watch, spent hours researching the super humans and anything he could find about them. Lewis couldn't find a way to get it through Zane's head that they didn't exist because he was being as hard headed as ever. Plus, Lewis himself was starting to believe in the accusations. A year before he didn't think mermaids existed until he found out his friends' secret, so who says there's no such thing as super humans?

"Lewis, are you coming?" Cleo's annoyed voice broke through his thoughts. He spun around in his chair to face Cleo who was standing behind him with her arms crossed over her chest.

"Oh...I'm sorry Cleo, I have all this work to do-" Lewis was interrupted by Cleo's heavy sigh and an eyeroll. "Cleo, I'm this close to being able to find out why the moon was what gave you your powers. I can't leave yet."

"Fine, I'll just walk with the girls then." She spun on her heel and stomped out of the room. Lewis sighed and ran a hand over his face.

Cleo pushed open the door to the library and left, noticing Rikki leaning against the wall, looking at her i-pod screen. She looked up and turned off her i-pod as Cleo fell into step with her. "Trouble in paradise?" Rikki asked, breaking the silence.

"No...Lewis is just busy working...all the time," Cleo sighed. "I don't get it; he always made time for me before. Why not now?"

"Uh...Cleo, he's a boy," Rikki pointed out. "Guys only have a one track mind. Once something's in it, it's there until they fill it with something else." Cleo noticed that she said this somewhat bitterly.

"What's going on between you and Zane now?" Cleo asked.

"Nothing," Rikki replied. "Same ol', same ol'. But enough about us, Ash and Emma are what I want to know about. Something's up with him and I won't rest until I find out what it is. Everytime Emma goes near him to ask him something he gives a bad excuse."

"I thought I was the only one who noticed that," Cleo said as her eyes widened.

"Noticed what?" Emma asked, squeezing her way between the two girls and smiled brightly. Rikki shifted her gaze while Cleo bit her lip and tired to come up with an excuse. "Whatever, I need to talk to you two about something important." She paused. "Actually, Riley told me about this." She looked around them to make sure no one was paying attention but lowered her voice anyway. "Remember when you fainted, Cleo? And you kept muttering something about the darkness?"

Cleo shuttered as she nodded at the memory. She held onto her arms, looking at the floor. She hated being surrounded by the darkness. She hated feeling cold, scared, and alone. "Yeah, I remember," she muttered.

"Riley told me that it darkness trying to take you over," Emma replied.

"Darkness?" Rikki repeated, before scoffing. "Riight, the darkness is so scary."

"Will you be serious for once?" Emma snapped. "I'm sure they wouldn't have told us this if it weren't important. They have more on their plate then we do."

"Really? How? They aren't the ones that turn into fish every time they touch water," Rikki pointed out.

"I'm being serious, Rikki."

"So am I!" She shot back. "Why do you always think I'm making a joke out of something?"

"Because you _always_ make a joke out of something."

"Girls, _please_!" Cleo begged, trying to stop the two glaring blonds from starting an argument. "Not now."

"_Why_ are you always on my case?" Rikki demanded, ignoring Cleo. "You always look at me as if I'm some sort of...street urchin or something!"

"I _don't_ think that, Rikki!" Emma shot back. "What I _do_ think is that you should get some sensitivity instead of making a joke out of something serious all of the time!"

"So sue me for wanting to make my life fun for once!"

"You _can't_ always have fun!"

"Watch me!"

Cleo and Emma watched as Rikki stomped down the hall. She shoved people out of her way before turning the corner. Cleo sighed and glanced at Emma who had her arms crossed over her chest and a stony look on her face. Once Emma noticed that Cleo was staring at her she turned and raised her eyebrow. "You could've dropped it," Cleo sighed. "Why do you two always fight? You could avoid it you know."

"Rikki never takes things seriously," Emma muttered as they continued down the hall. "She has t learn life isn't full of fun and games. There are times when you need to be serious."

"Emma...are you sure your anger isn't fueled by Ash?" Cleo asked hesitantly.

"Ash has nothing to do with this!" Emma hissed.

"Are you sure?"

Suddenly a classroom door burst open and Nate and Zane ran out of it. Nate, carrying a tray of paint water, wasn't paying attention and crashed into Emma and Cleo. They didn't have time to move before the paint jars were jostled enough so water sloshed onto them.

"Nate!" They both shrieked as Zane's eyes got wide.

"Relax, girls, it's just paint water," Nate said, laughing gleefully at the soaked girls.

"Girls, run!"Zane hissed.

Cleo grabbed Emma's arm and the two girls dashed down the hall. Cleo threw apologies over her shoulder when they accidentally hit the other students. Cleo didn't bother to say anything when her elbow hit Charlotte's books and knocked them to the floor.

"You could've at least said you're sorry!" Charlotte yelled back at her.

"What's with those girls? They've gotten so weird lately," Nate commented as he shook his head and checked to make sure that none of the jars had broken in their collision.

"They're girls, why try to understand them?" Zane questioned. "Anyway, about those super humans I've been telling you about, Dad pulled out of the research for it so now I don't have access to anything he has on his computer."

"Bummer, man," Nate muttered. "What are you going to do now?"

"Get Lewis to find stuff for me, what else?" Zane asked. "He's some sort of...geeky genius, if he can find anything about them then he can."

"Why Lewis? Can't you find someone less geeky to find information?"

"Do you know anyone else that can help me?"

"I might be of some assistance."

-----

Crystal tapped her fingers on the table as she stared at the clock, begging for time to go by faster. She was stuck in there for the next ten minutes because she was paired with Byron on a project, which she really wanted to fail just to get away from him.

"So, we can do a visual aid on this and we're sure to get an A," Byron said as he pointed at the computer screen.

"Mhm," Crystal muttered distractedly as she looked up at the clock again.

"Umm, which part do you want to do? The research or the construction?" He asked, trying to make conversation.

"It doesn't matter," she said in a dismissive tone as she looked out the window. She envied the students that were outside, practicing or leaving to go home for the day. She would kill to be able to leave and get away from Byron. He was one of the few guys at the school who didn't constantly hit on her, which she was grateful for, but he didn't give her the space she needed. And right now, she felt that she would explode if he asked her one more questioned. She really wanted an excuse to get away so she could get to her job.

The beep of her cell phone caused her to jump and she dug into her pockets for it. _Saved by the text._ She flipped open her phone and read the two words that Riley had texted her: Teg Tuo. Crystal's eyes shifted from her text message to the window where she could see Patrick, Noah, and Sydney running out of the Elementary school in the distance, which signaled that they got the text too.

"I have to go!" Crystal said as she jumped up, sweeping her books into her bag.

"We still have ten minutes," Byron said as he looked up at the clock.

"It's an emergency," she told him.

"You don't have to lie," he muttered as he turned back to the computer screen. "I know that you don't really want to be here with me. You could've just said so instead of coming up with an excuse to get out of here."

"It's not an excuse," Crystal muttered as she looked out the window again to see Noah throwing down his bag before racing forward and kicking at Koto. "It is an emergency. Really, I can't afford to fail."

"Great, so I'll meet you here tomorrow," Byron said as he spun around and flashed her a smile, causing his dimples to form in his cheeks.

"Are you blackmailing me?"

"That's not blackmail. That's just moving towards what we both want. See you later."

Crystal fought over whether or not she should just leave or knock his head off but the sound of a body crashing into a wall made her decision for her. She dashed down the hallway and pushed open the closest double doors to her. She squeezed her eyes shut when the bright light hit her. She quickly jumped out of the way when Kotaro aimed a punch at her head.

"Why here?"

-----

"Emma, this isn't funny, get the door open," Cleo said as she slapped her tail against the ground. Emma and Cleo had dashed to the janitor's closet after Nate splashed them with water. In the process of getting inside they knocked over the container of water that was in the janitor's bucket. The water spilled all over the floor and somehow they got locked in so they were stuck in their mermaid forms locked in the janitor's closet for the rest of the day.

"I can't, Cleo," Emma replied as she pushed her wet hair out of her face and flopped back onto the ground with a loud smack. "Rikki probably went home by now. Ash probably went to work."

"Lewis would probably be in the library," Cleo concluded. "We're stuck here. No one's going to notice we're gone except for our parents, but by the time they find out we'll be in so much trouble."

Emma sat thinking for a while. She looked at the water on the ground before looking over at the bucket that had tipped over. A smile spread on her face as she pulled herself over to the bucket and lifted it upright.

"Cleo, can you-" Emma's words died on her lips when she heard the doorknob turning. Cleo and Emma exchanged scared glances.

"Why won't this door open?" They heard a voice mutter on the other side.

"Charlotte!" The girls hissed in unison.

"Cleo, quick, move the water off of us and the ground and back into the bucket," Emma told her as she kept glancing back and forth between the door. "Hurry!"

Cleo nodded and raised her hand, bending her fingers slightly as she concentrated on moving the water. Emma bit her lip and kept her eyes on the door as the knob continued to jiggle. She could feel the water slowly pulling away from her as the sound of keys swinging on a chain grabbed her attention. "I'm almost done," Cleo whispered.

The door swung open and light flooded the janitor's closet. Charlotte and the janitor peered into the room as Emma picked something up in the corner and Cleo turned around and flashed a bright smile.

"What're you two ladies doing in here?" The janitor asked.

"We noticed that someone had thrown up in the Science lab so we were going to put this sawdust over it for you," Emma said with a bright smile as Cleo nodded in agreement.

"Thank you ladies, but there is no need," the janitor said with a smile. "You ladies should be going on home now."

"Yes sir." Emma and Cleo rushed out of the janitor's closet and brushed past Charlotte.

"That was too close," Cleo muttered.

"Now, what was it that you wanted?" The janitor asked, turning to Charlotte.

"Oh...I just heard those two were stuck in there and I came for you to get them out," Charlotte replied.

"That's very nice of you. If you'll excuse me, I have to get back to cleaning."

Charlotte nodded before walking down the hall. Once she turned the corner she clenched her hands into fists to keep from screaming out loud. She almost had them. She was so close to getting them she could feel it, but somehow they found their way out of her trap. _I have to think of something better to get them._

* * *

**A/N: **Gosh, I have a drawn out plot for this story and yet it still comes out jumpy in my chapters. Hmm, I'm going to have to fix that. Anyway, the reason I haven't updated a lot is because of school. Lame excuse, I know, but I will try to update more often. You'll see more of the twins' family and more of Ash, Kim and Elliot, and more of Dr. Denman too. Everything will make sense soon, hang in there.

~Crystal

P.S. I don't know why this chapter is centered, I'll get it fixed soon.


	13. Mermaids vs Elementals

**Chapter 13: Mermaids vs. Elementals**

"Where have you two been?" Rikki asked Cleo and Emma as they made her way towards her. Rikki closed the magazine she was reading and shoved it into her backpack. Her question was directed more towards Cleo than Emma.

"We ran into a little problem," Cleo responded before jumping into the story of the janitor's closet and almost getting caught by Charlotte and the janitor.

"Now who's the one who has to be careful?" Rikki asked with a smug smile. Cleo was about to respond when Emma's head whipped around.

"Hey, what's that?" She asked as she pointed. The three girls looked over the railing of the school to see the Jacksons and their cousin fighting some guys.

"Come on, we need to help them," Rikki said, throwing down her backpack and rushing down the stairs. Cleo and Emma exchanged looks before running after Rikki. "Oy, muffin head!" Koto turned around, temporarily letting his guard down, allowing Rikki to kick him in the chest. He skidded back a few feet, rubbing the spot as if he had been tickled with a feather.

"What're you doing here?" Riley demanded.

"We came to help," Cleo responded.

"You don't know what you're getting yourself into," she warned, keeping an eye on Koto incase he used the opportunity to attack her. "You really don't."

"When do we ever?" Emma questioned, before ducking when a punch was thrown her way. In instinct, she slammed her palm against the guy's chest. She and Riley watched in amazement as his movement started to slow down.

"What are you doing to him?" Riley asked, looking at Emma.

"She's freezing the fluids in him," Cleo guessed.

Emma moved her hand and backed away, the fighter seemed to be frozen in place as he moved really slowly. Emma smiled a little only for it to go away when Koto charged at her. Riley stepped in the way, bringing back her fist that was wrapped in flames. She shot it forward and slammed it against Koto's chest.

"You'd think the guy would learn not to mess with me," she muttered t herself as she shook her hand and flexed her fingers, causing the flames to disappear.

Emma glanced around to see Patrick and Noah double-team fighting against a guy who, on normal circumstances, would easily overpower them. Sydney was fighting someone practically triple his size and body weight but he was doing great by himself.

Emma watched them fighting in awe. Their movements were so graceful in a way that it seemed like they spent years perfecting their moves and their abilities. She felt bad for them. By what they told her they never had a normal life ever since they were born. They've been constantly followed and attacked, she was surprised that they hadn't lost their minds. Sydney's cry of pain brought her back to reality. She looked to see him pinned to the ground, clawing at the hand that was holding onto his throat.

"Emma!" Cleo said as she and Rikki joined her side. "We have to help them."

Emma nodded and lifted her hand, as did Cleo and Rikki. The wind started to kick up, which made Koto and his gang pause momentarily, which gave the Jacksons enough time to land a forceful kick on their chests, knocking them back. Cleo, Rikki, and Emma concentrated harder and the wind got stronger. It pushed Koto and his gang into the center of the clearing before lifting them up into the air as the Jackson's watched in awe.

"What the hell is going on?" Koto yelled over the roar of the wind. His eyes darted around before he glared at the girls whose hands were raised. "No way, not them too," he muttered under his breath before he was thrown through the air. The girls dropped their hands and let out the breath that they've been holding.

"Wow, how'd you do that?" Sydney asked with wide eyes. "Are you Elementals too?'

"Uh, no Syd, they're mermaids," Riley replied.

"Mermaids!?" Julius, Patrick, Noah, and Sydney repeated.

"It's kind of hard to explain," Cleo muttered.

"Are you crazy!?" Everyone turned to see Lewis storming out of the building. Cleo sighed and placed her hand on her forehead while Emma raised her eyebrows and Rikki had an amused look on her face. "You just used your powers in front of them like that?" He hissed.

"Relax, Lewis, don't get your knickers in a knot," Rikki said with an eye roll. "We were helping them."

"You…you just…" Lewis spluttered as he tried to form a sentence.

"Maybe you should explain it to him," Cleo said as she gave them an apologetic look.

----

"Wow," Lewis muttered as he looked around the basement of Crystal's father's home. When he showed up with Crystal's cousins he changed the basement into his science lab. A large computer sat in the corner and a bookshelf was against the back wall filled with books, random pictures, and weird gadgets. Around the basement was a counter that you would see in official science labs. Above them were cabinets filled with who knows what. Beakers and test tubes sat scattered on one area of the counter top. A treadmill was folded up in the space between a closet and a counter. "This is impressive," he said as the group trooped down the stairs followed by Christian. "What is it exactly that you study?" he asked.

"What I tell everyone is that I'm studying marine life behavior. Really what I'm doing is studying their Elemental behavior," he responded as he nodded towards his daughter and her cousins. "Keeping tabs on their power levels, making sure they're not over working themselves, stuff like that."

"So…it's safe to say you've seen about everything?" Lewis asked him.

"Yup," Christian agreed.

"Just wait." Lewis walked over to the vase of flowers that was sitting on the desk. He pulled the flowers out and turned around. Before the girls could react, he threw the water at them.

"Lewis!" They all screeched.

"1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10." Right as Lewis finished saying ten the girls seemed to be covered in bubbles before they fell to the floor with a wet smack. Their hair was wet and their clothes were replaced with a bikini top and a long orange tail that reflected the light of the basement. The boys, minus Lewis, all had shocked looks on their faces. "Have you seen that before?" Lewis asked Christian with raised eyebrows.

"No," he replied as he stared at them. "Turing into…fish from touching water?" he whispered to himself. "Dr. Denman said something about that…"

"You're working with Dr. Denman?" Emma asked in shock.

"No," Christian replied, instantly calming her nerves. "We're working against each other, really. She wants to know what I'm doing and she tries to find out my secret experiments. We had to move a lot because of her. Do you mind?" Emma shook her head as he reached down and picked up the fin part of her tail. He lightly ran his fingers over it, a look of astonishment on his face. "How is this possible?"

"Lewis has been trying to figure that out on his own," Cleo supplied. "You see, we became mermaids when we fell into the moon pool at Mako Island when a full moon passed by."

"A moon did this?" Julius spoke up. "I don't get it. There's no possible way that the moon can do this to you with you sitting in a pool."

"I have to agree with Julius. It doesn't make any sense," Noah agreed as Sydney nodded.

"Look. We're mermaids when we touch water. What other proof do you want?" Rikki asked irritably.

"Is that all that happens when you touch water?" Christian asked, putting Emma's tail down.

"Yes. But we have powers too," Cleo responded. "Emma can freeze liquids and freeze anything that has water in it, like the air or dew on grass. I can shape and control water and I can also control wind. Rikki can boil any liquid and start a fire from it and she can create lightning. All together we can create a storm."

"That sounds like Elemental stuff, but they don't have the mark," Noah muttered as he studied them.

"Are you sure you're not Elementals?" Christian asked.

"I don't even fully understand what that means," Emma admitted. "All I know is that we were normal girls before we were in the moon pool…and now we're fish." She slapped her tail against the ground in frustration. "Can you dry us off now?" She asked Rikki. Rikki nodded and lifted her hand, slowly closing it into a fist. Steam filled the room as the three dried off. Once they got their legs back they got to their feet.

"About you," Lewis said as he turned to the family standing before him.

"Uh-oh," Cleo whispered.

"He has the mad scientist look in his eye," Rikki said with an amused smile. "Finally, someone else will have to deal with it."

"What is an Elemental exactly?" Lewis asked, ignoring them.

"It's practically self-explanatory but it's when a person is born with AENP that allows them to awaken their powers and then harness them to use them for the greater good of mankind," Sydney recited, as if he heard it all the time.

"AENP?" Lewis repeated.

"Anigma Energy Nano Particles. It's what allows us to use our abilities. Not everyone is an Elemental, but we're more common now. Usually only a few people per family, depending on how many kids there are, have AENP but we're lucky so all of us have it," Sydney said as he smiled at his family.

"What powers do you have?" Cleo asked.

"I control spirits, so I can call up animal spirits or spirits of the elements at will to help me," Sydney replied. "Noah controls silver wind, which is a stronger variation of controlling wind. Patrick controls thunder or lightning, whichever you want to call it. Rhu controls darkness, Ri controls fire, Crystie controls ice, and Julius has every element. At least, every element that we know of. There are tons more that we don't know anything about."

"Amazing," Lewis whispered as he fell into a chair. "The powers that they have…is it possible that they're Elementals too?"

"You can only be born with Elemental power, it can't be given to you," Crystal spoke up. "Their powers, it has something to do with the moon as you said, but that's the strangest occurrence I have ever heard."

"If the Moon Pool…gave them their powers…what would it do to you?" He asked as he rubbed his chin in thought.

"Hard to say. The moon is unpredictable. It could alter our DNA or something," Patrick said as he glanced at Emma, Rikki, and Cleo who stayed silent and took the information in.

"So…you're basically the definition of a super human?" Rikki asked slowly.

"You could say that," Sydney agreed.

"Stay away from Zane, then. He's been going on and on about super humans," Rikki warned them.

"Zane? Zane Benet, that Zane?" Julius questioned, a dark look suddenly appearing on his face. Rikki nodded. "I can't believe it. He always sticks his nose where it doesn't belong. I'm going to teach him a thing or two this time," he muttered more to himself than anyone else.

"I'd like to do some research on you, if you don't mind," Lewis said, tapping his chin as he looked over the family. "Something like this is phenomenal. I want to run some tests, to check out your skills. Also…I want to know that the full moon at Mako Island would do to you."

"Lewis, I don't think that's a good idea," Cleo jumped in. "You don't know what could happen."

"We'll never know unless we try."


	14. The Doctor is In

**Chapter 14: The Doctor is In**

"Hey man. What…are you doing here?" Zane asked once he opened the door to his home. Ash was standing in the doorway, his hands in his pockets and he was rocking back and forth on his heels. It was strange to see Ash standing there. They were friends, mainly because of the secret they had to keep for their girlfriends, but it was still odd because he didn't know Ash that well despite being in the 'club' with him.

"Is it a crime to want to see my friend?" Ash asked with raised eyebrows. Zane looked over his shoulder as he shook his head. "So are you going to let me in or not?"

"Yeah, sorry." Zane stepped out of the way and let Ash into the house. Once he was in entirely he led Ash through the house and into the living room where Nate was sitting on the couch. "Uh, Nate, you remember Ash. Ash, Nate," Zane said as he pointed to each person.

Nate and Ash merely nodded at each other. If Zane had his way they wouldn't be in the same room together, knowing that a fight was sure to break out, but he couldn't be rude and make Ash leave when he just go there.

"So…what are you guys talking about?" Ash asked, looking back and forth between the two. He didn't know if he really wanted the answer. When Nate and Zane were together, something bad usually comes out of it.

"None of your business," Nate replied instantly.

"_Nate_," Zane sighed in a warning way. "We were talking about the super humans that my Dad is looking for."

"You _actually_ believe in super humans?" Ash asked, chuckling and shaking his head. "I told you all ready, psychics are fake and there are no such things as super humans."

"If there weren't any my father wouldn't be studying them," Zane told him slowly, as if speaking to a little kid. Ash opened his mouth but Zane interrupted him. "Why are you here, anyway?"

"I was going to ask you if you knew where Emma was," he replied.

Nate made a scoffing sound. "Why would Zane want to associate himself with a loser like her?"

Ash bristled. "You shut up about my girlfriend!"

"Or you'll what? Throw a smoothie at me?" Nate asked, laughing. Ash clenched his hands into fists. Nate noticed and stood up, staring eye to eye with Ash. They glared at each other, not willing to back down from the other.

"Guys, please!" Zane hissed. "The last thing I–"

"ZANE!" Zane sighed when his father screamed his name from somewhere in the house.

"I'll be right back. Try not to kill each other," Zane sighed, rushing out of the room. He followed his father's voice down into the basement that looked like a science lab. "What is it, Dad?" He asked, walking over to him.

"Son, I think I discovered something that could put our family down in History," Harrison whispered as he looked down at a rock that was sitting on the table. Zane looked at it himself as he got closer. The color of the rock changed in the light as he kept walking. It went from red, to purple, to gold, to silver, to blue, to gray, to pink, to green, and back to the normal brown color it was before. Zane blinked and stared at the rock, not understanding that it had changed colors right before his eyes. "Someone is coming over to look at the rock and break it down. In the mean time, don't tell _anyone_ about this discovery."

"Well, Nate and Ash are here and I told them a little bit about what you were doing and–" Zane was cut off by his father shooting his hand out and clasping Zane's throat. He began to squeeze as Zane brought his hands up to his throat and tried to pry his Dad's fingers off of him. He choked for air, kicking his legs, as his eyes rested on his father, wide with fear. Harrison snarled and let go of his son's throat, causing Zane to fall to the ground on his hands and knees. Harrison brought back his foot and kicked him hard in the side. Zane let out a muffled scream of pain as he clutched his side.

"That'll teach you to keep your mouth shut," Harrison growled, glaring down at his son. Zane kept his cheek pressed up against the cool floor as Harrison stepped over him. He paused briefly, only when he heard a faint ringing bell. "Tell your friends to leave," he hissed before rushing up the stairs. He moved quickly to the front door and yanked it open.

"Ah, we meet again, Harrison," Linda Denman said with a smile.

"Dr. Denman," Harrison said shortly with a nod, closing the door behind him.

"I've come for the sample," she said getting straight to business. Harrison started to turn around. "I think you should know that we found him in our yard," she added. Harrison came back to the porch and looked at who Dr. Denman was referring to. Her partner, Eric, pulled a struggling boy onto the porch. The boy looked at Harrison and his eyes hardened.

"I know you," Harrison said slowly. "Robert Jackson's eldest son. Julius." He chuckled when Julius glared harder at him. "How'd I know you'd eventually turn against your own father?" Julius' eyes widened in shock before narrowing in anger. "Get him out of my face. I'll go get the rock." He paused. "There are two other boys here. Would you like to get them out of the way?"

Dr. Denman weighed her options. "Put them with the girl," Dr. Denman replied. "Chances are they'll be useful too."

**-----**

"This isn't a good idea," Sydney muttered. He, Patrick, and Noah stood around the still Moon Pool in awe and wonder. Sydney couldn't believe that a simple area of water and the moon was what caused the girl to become mermaids. Even seeing them for himself didn't fully convince him that there were such things as mermaids.

"When is anything that comes out of Lewis' mouth a good idea?" Rikki muttered, earning an elbow in the ribs from Cleo. Rikki rolled her eyes and sat down on a rock, resting her chin in her palms as she watched Lewis moving around the space as if on autopilot.

"Remind me why we agreed to this," Riley said as she rolled her neck so she was looking at Crystal. Rhuben did the same. Crystal's eyes shifted back and forth between the two.

"_You're_ the one who said that Mako Island might have something to do with our Elements going out of control," Crystal grumbled as Riley squeezed her eyes shut. _Here it comes…_

"What do you mean they're going out of control?" Sydney asked, moving over to them and looking at them with his big blue eyes. He was looking at them in a way that he knew they couldn't lie to him, he mastered that look and it worked every time.

"It's nothing major, just a few flare ups here and there," Riley said with a dismissive wave of her hand. Her eyebrow rose when a single flame erupted above her palm. She frowned slightly as she closed her hand, a small line of smoke rising into the air before it disappeared.

"I still don't think I understand about you guys," Emma spoke up, the reflection of the moonlight on the dark surface reflected on her face.

"Which part? The fact that we're constantly being chased? The fact that we can never be normal? The fact that we can't give this up? Or the fact that we can't ever settle in one place?" Rhuben asked with a trace of bitterness in her voice.

"That's just it, why are _you_ the only ones of…your kind being chased around?" Emma asked slowly, choosing the right words so she wouldn't upset them. "Judging by what you're saying, then a lot more people in the world are Elementals. So why are you the only ones being followed?"

"Prophecy," Noah spoke up in his quiet voice. They could barely hear him over the sound of the moving water, he spoke so softly. "Core, the one who tells people to chase us around, wants to stop us from fulfilling it. So far he's failed each time…"

"We're _lucky_ he's failed each time," Patrick corrected him, elbowing him in the side and grinning. Noah smiled a little bit in response.

"Now," Lewis said so suddenly it caused everyone to jump. "If my studies are correct, which they almost always are, when they touch the Moon Pool at the full moon they wouldn't turn into mermaids."

"So why are we still here?" Rikki asked in annoyance. "You _know_ what the moon does to us!"

"Which is why I brought a precaution," Lewis replied, handing out sunglasses to each of them. "You need to see this too. We could make a discovery here."

"Don't tell me you're one of _them_!" Rhuben growled, saying them as if she would say snot-sandwich. He looked at her in confusion. "Someone who only wants to be around us for fame."

"If that were the case I would've dropped Rikki to the press _months_ ago," Lewis replied as Rikki reached for her shoe to throw at him. Cleo grabbed her arm and stopped her.

"Your boyfriend is pushing it, Cleo!" Rikki growled.

"You know Lewis is like this. Why can't you accept it?" Cleo asked with a sigh. It was about time she spoke up about the way Rikki treated Lewis. She hated how the two always fought, especially with sarcasm. Rikki may not show it all of the time but Cleo knew that Lewis's words hurt her. Call it intuition. She knew not to bring it up though, it would cause more problems between the two and she didn't want to be put in the middle of it.

"Can we hurry this up, please? Ash and I were supposed to go out to talk," Emma said impatiently tapping her foot all the while.

"The moon should be passing over in the next two minutes," Lewis replied, looking at his watch.

"Are you sure you want to do this, Rhu?" Noah asked, walking over to her. "You don't know what it could do to you. It could take away your powers."

"Or it could help them," she replied. "We won't know if we try. Whatever happens, we can handle it, ok?" She ruffled his hair and he nodded solemnly.

"One minute," Lewis called.

"What a coincidence. That's how long it will take for us to get rid of you," Koto commented as he, Reihu, and Kotaro came into the cave area. "Underneath a volcano, why didn't I ever think of finding you here, Riley?" He asked in a teasing tone.

"Ugh, we don't have time for this so let's make this short," Riley said as she held up her fist, flames snaking their way up to her shoulder, covering her entire arm in flames.

"Can we deal with them, actually? I have some anger I need to work off," Rikki said as she cracked her knuckles, grinning evilly.

"Be my guest."

Rikki turned to Emma, who sighed, "Ok, but let's make this fast. I have to–"

"We know, you have to talk to Ash," Rikki interrupted.

"Your talking is _really_ starting to get on my nerves!" Koto growled, curling his hands into fists. _'They're just girls, there's not much they can do!'_ He told himself as he, Reihu, and Kotaro ran at the three.

They smirked as they held up their hands. Kotaro faltered slightly but that was enough for them to cause wind to kick up and knock him off balance. He tried to get back to his feet but the wind that the girls were conjuring was too strong. Koto had his unusually long nails digging into the ground to keep himself from flying away and Reihu was grabbing onto the back of his jacket to stay on his feet. Kotaro's feet left the ground and he slammed into Rhuben.

It caused a domino effect and the next thing she knew water blurred her vision and her soaked clothes were pulling her down to the bottom of the pool. Shouts were muffled from the now bubbling water as she tried to swim to the surface. She didn't have to look to know that Riley and Crystal had fallen in with her. Her feet touched the bottom of the pool and she struggled to push her way to the top as bright light surrounded her.

For someone who was drowning, she felt strangely at peace.


	15. A Furry Little Problem

**Chapter 15: A Furry Little Problem**

"Ugh, what the heck?" Byron moaned as he lifted his head. His neck was stiff and it hurt to move it too much. He blinked and looked around the room. There were beakers and tests tubes sitting on the white counters around him. He tried to lift his arms but they were held down tight by his side. He tried to move them again but felt a weight pressing on his back.

"Easy, man! You're making these ropes cut into my arms!" Julius snapped, flinching at how tight the ropes were.

"What's going on?" Byron asked. "Where are we? Why're we tied up? Who–"

"If you shut up I'll be glad to answer your questions," Julius snapped. Byron bit his lip as his eyes darted around. "First off, my name's Julius Jackson. We–"

"Are you related to Riley and Rhuben?" Byron interrupted.

"They're my sisters, yes," he replied in a tight voice. "Anyway–"

"So that makes you Crystal's cousin too?"

"That's usually how it works," Julius growled through clenched teeth. "Now–"

"Maybe you can–"

"_Will you shut up_?" Julius shouted, causing Byron to jump. "Unless you want to interrupt again I'd be glad to answer your questions." Byron nodded rapidly. "We're in Dr. Denman's lab, from the looks of it."

"Dr. Denman?" Byron repeated. "You mean that girl who claimed that there were mermaids around here?"

"The very same," Julius confirmed. "Dr. Denman, I guess you could say, is a rival to my family. My dad and Dr. Denman work in the same field so they constantly tried to one up the other. Dr. Denman goes to great lengths to make sure she gets to something before my Dad."

"She she decides to kidnap you?" Byron asked in disbelief.

Julius shrugged. "She's always been somewhat crazy when she put her mind to something. This honestly doesn't surprise me. If she could stop my dad in any way, this would be it."

"You aren't even going to call the police?" Byron questioned.

Julius shrugged again. "No point. She'll find her way out of jail easily. She's done it before."

"Well…what's she looking for this time?"

"Super humans," Julius replied simply.

"Super _what_!?"

"Super humans," Julius repeated. "People who aren't normal like psychics and stuff like that. Although most psychics are fake, even though they convince people to believe that they're real." Julius rolled his eyes. "After the whole mermaid fiasco she wants people to know that she isn't some lame scientist. She wants to find something and it has to be really important to lock us in here."

"Where do you think she is?"

"One of two places: Mako Island or Harrison Bennett's house. Those two are known for working together." Julius sighed. "They hated how Dad works only because he works better and faster. I actually think it's because they get in each other's way which slows them down."

"Ok, so what're we going to do to get out of here?"

Julius stayed silent. He knew the fastest way to get out would be to use his powers, but he couldn't use them in front of Byron, not without him running to the media. The last thing he wanted was to make his family forced into the media spotlight again. _'C'mon Julius, think! Think!'_

Julius looked around the room and his eyes rested on the broken beaker that lay on the counter. He nudged Byron and jerked his head in the direction of the counter. Byron nodded and the two rocked back and forth to get to their feet.

"Move slowly or else we'll fall over and it'll be hard to get back up," Julius commanded.

"Ok."

They took small, shuffling steps over to the counter. Julius made sure to pay attention to the sounds around him just in case he had to change his plan at the last minute. He reached out a hand as far as he could, which wasn't really far, and scrambled

--------

"We're dry, you can stop now!" Riley shouted over the wind that filled the tunnel. Rikki, Cleo, and Emma lowered their hands and stared. "What?" She snapped.

"We're waiting to see if you'll grow a second head or something," Patrick replied.

"Pat, you wouldn't _want_ me to grow a second head," she said as she glared at him. Her voice was unusually calm which signaled that he better shut his mouth. "So you made me feel like a drowning rat for nothing?"

"I was _sure_ that something was going to happen," Lewis muttered.

"Well, guess what? It didn't!" Rhuben snapped. "We came here for nothing and Dr. Denman could have police swarming our house by now!"

"If Dr. Denman doesn't have anything to do with it than our parents will," Emma said as she looked at her watch. "We're going to miss our curfews." She groaned. "And I still haven't talked to Ash."

"Who cares?" Rikki shouted as she threw her arms into the air. "We have some other matters to worry about."

"Relax, you two. Right now we should go home and get some rest. Tomorrow we can all meet up and try to find out what's going on and what we can do to make sure Dr. Denman doesn't get any closer than she is," Cleo spoke up, always the voice of reason. She stared meaningfully at Rikki and Emma who muttered their agreement. "After school at the JuiceNet."

"That's too dangerous, someone could over hear us," Noah said as he shook his head.

"Let me take care of that one," Sydney said as he lightly patted his brother on the hand and smiled his dimpled smile. Noah smiled in return and squeezed Sydney's hand.

After agreeing to meet up again after school the group split up to take different routes back to their homes: Cleo, Emma, and Rikki would swim out, along with Lewis who used his scuba diving gear to get in. The Jacksons and their cousin would take go out the other way and use their boat.

"Are you sure you're ok?" Sydney kept asking over the roar of the wind in their ears.

"Yes, for the last time," Crystal called back, keeping her hand on the rudder of the boat, directing it back towards the land. "We didn't sprout any wings or anything."

"From what Lewis said the water reacted to you the same way it did when it gave the girls their powers," Noah spoke up. "Why didn't it do anything to you guys?"

"Maybe it's a hidden power," Patrick said with a shrug. "Maybe we won't found out what happened until later."

"With our luck we'll probably transform in the middle of a science class," Rhuben muttered sarcastically. "Like we need any more attention."

"Just be glad that we haven't mutated or anything," Crystal spoke up. "Try having to explain that to the principal."

--------

Crystal woke up the next morning with the alarm clock ringing in one ear and Sydney's distant yelling in the other. She groaned and forced herself out of bed, slapping her palm on her alarm clock in the process. She was in the middle of swinging her feet over the side of her bed when her bedroom door burst open suddenly, causing her to yelp with fright and fall off the other side of the bed.

"Sorry," Christian chuckled at the thud. "I was just making sure you were awake."

"Next time knock like a normal father," she grumbled from the floor where she was tangled in her sheets. Christian merely laughed before closing the door behind himself and leaving the room. Crystal grumbled to herself a she struggled to get out of her tangled sheets. "Man," she muttered to herself, "I feel trapped."

No matter which way she turned she felt as if she was being tied down by ropes. Heat quickly rose in the confined space as she moved harder to try and get fresh air. "Last I checked my blanket wasn't this hard to get out of." She sighed after a few more minutes of struggling. "Nor were they big enough that I'm completely covered."

She struggled a little bit harder and finally popped out of the blankets, only to fall flat on her chest. Grumbling she used her paws to push her to her feet…wait, paws? Crystal tilted her head to look down. Where her hands used to be were black legs covered in fur. She tilted her head so she was looking upside-down and saw two more paws. Come to think of it, the floor was _a lot_ closer than it was before…

"What the heck!?" Crystal moved, clumsily, around the bed before she reached her long, floor length mirror that hung on the wall. Her blue eyes widened at what was staring back at her: a jet black cat with bright blue eyes that held a shocked look. "What the heck is going on here?"


	16. Cat Got Your Tongue?

**Chapter 16: Cat Got Your Tongue?**

"Crys, are you ok?" Christian's voice came through the other side of the door. His voice was quickly followed by a knock. "If you don't get down here soon they're going to eat everything."

"Uh…that's ok! I'm not hungry!" Crystal shouted back as she continued to stare at herself in the mirror. "How could this be happening? What the hell's going on here?" She wracked her brain about what could have happened and gasped. "The Moon Pool! That has to be it!"

Suddenly she heard pounding footsteps get closer to her door. "Hey Crys, come on! Sydney's going to be on a sugar high if you don't help him eat these chocolate-chip pancakes!"

"I, um, I have a little problem here!" Crystal called back weakly.

There was a pause on the other side of the door. "Let me in," she finally said.

"Door's open," Crystal called back. She turned her head and stared at the door as it swung open. Riley looked around the room, her eyebrows rising. "Look down," Crystal sighed.

Riley looked down and her eyes widened. "What the…Crys?" She asked.

Crystal nodded solemnly. "Unfortunately," she sighed.

"What the heck happened to you? You're…you're a _cat_!" Riley said as Crystal walked over to her.

"I know, I think it has something to do with falling into the Moon Pool," Crystal replied.

"Ok, don't panic. Um…let's see if Christian or Julius can do something if not we'll just have to meet up with everyone else," Riley said as she turned to the door. Crystal followed her, walking quickly to catch up to Riley's fast pace. "Hey guys, we have a little problem," Riley called as she walked into the kitchen.

"What? You forgot to do your Science project again?" Julius asked before taking a gulp of his orange juice.

Riley stared at him for a couple of seconds before slapping her forehead. Julius rolled his eyes. "That, and this," she said as she pointed down at Crystal who jumped onto the table.

"It's a cat, so what? Just throw it out, you know that Crystal's allergic."

"Huh, I'm allergic to myself, that's so funny," Crystal said sarcastically. Julius's eyes widened. Sydney dropped his fork and Patrick and Noah whipped their heads around to look at her. "Something went wrong," she groaned.

* * *

Crystal's blue eyes followed Lewis around as he paced around the table that she was perched on. He had been poking and prodding her a few times and she looked about ready to attack him.

"Lewis, she's a cat not a piece of meat!" RIkki finally shouted when Lewis prodded Crystal again.

"Sorry. I'm just trying to figure this out," Lewis said as he stood back and crossed his arms over his chest. "When did this happen?"

"Apparently in the middle of the night," Crystal replied, leaning back as she stretched. "I woke up like this."

"How come it didn't happen to Riles and Rhu?" Noah asked from the stool he was sitting on.

As soon as they got a grasp on the situation they had called Lewis, Cleo, and Rikki over. They had called Emma as well but she said she didn't want to miss school and decided to go ahead to tell the teachers that the rest of them were sick. Rikki made fun of her wondering how she was going to be able to spend the day lying but Emma wouldn't respond.

"Who knows? The Moon Pool is a mysterious thing," Lewis sighed, scratching his head. "I don't even know how long she's going to be stuck like this."

"She wasn't in the Moon Pool that long. Maybe she won't be in this state for too long," Cleo suggested.

"That all depends, I guess. I mean, you guys turned into mermaids when you fell into the moon pool and now whenever you touch water you turn into one. For all we know as soon as she drinks milk she'll turn into a cat," Lewis said.

"And milk's her favorite drink, too," Sydney said sympathetically as he scratched Crystal between the ears. He laughed a little when he saw her ears droop and a relaxed look came to her face. "What can we do?"

"I guess we need to get Uncle Christian to check her out and then wait for her to change back," Julius sighed. "In the meantime she has to stay here where we can keep an eye on her. The last thing we need is for her to transform at school or in public."

* * *

"Hey Emma! Emma, wait!" Emma heard Byron yelling after her. She let out a frustrated sigh before turning around and plastering a peaceful smile on her face. Her smile wavered a bit when she noticed that Nate had joined.

"Look, guys, I'm really busy. I need to—"

"I heard that Crystal's sick. Right?" Byron asked.

"Um, yeah," Emma replied, searching the halls for Ash.

"Is Riley sick too? She's not here either," Nate asked.

"Yeah, I think she caught what Crystal had," Emma said as she tried to walk away but the two boys followed them.

"What do they have?"

"A cold I think?" Her eyes scanned the halls desperately and then she figured he'd be sitting outside getting some last minute studying in since he had a big history test. "Look, guys, I have to go. If you're so worried why don't you just go and see if they're ok or something?" She rushed off before they could say another word and instantly felt guilty. She knew that Riley and Crystal were going to give it to her once she got back but she really didn't care. She _had_ to know why Ash was acting funny lately.

She looked over the railing of the second floor of the school and looked around for Ash. She spotted him sitting on a bench. She rushed over to him and plopped down on the bench next to him, beaming. "Hey Ash, what's up?"

"Hey Emma," Ash said slowly, closing his History book. "How are you?"

"I'm great. You said you wanted to talk?" Ash nodded. "Ok, what about?"

"About us," Ash replied.

Emma bit her lip. "Um, what about us?"

Ash sighed. "It's just…ever since you became a mermaid…it's hard."

"What's hard, Ash?"

"Us. Making sure you're safe. Having to worry about getting anywhere near water. It just gets so frustrating. I don't know if I can handle it anymore."

Emma's heart sank as she squinted at him. "Where's this coming from?" She asked, tucking her hair behind her ears. "There was no problem before."

"I'm sorry, I have to go," Ash said as she quickly shoved his books into his bag and stood. "Sorry," he reapted.

"Ash, wait!" Emma called after him but he ran away.


End file.
